ASN’s supervision of the Flamanville-3 reactor construction (EPR) : Latest news

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Following a period of preparatory work that began in summer 2006, construction on the Flamanville 3 EPR project commenced in September 2007.

Since late 2007, construction on the various buildings at the Flamanville 3 site has continued with completion of the following by early 2010:

  • reactor building: progress in concreting for containment internals, erection of first levels of vertical part of steel inner containment liner, installation of personnel hatch, reinforcement and concreting operations for inner and outer containment walls;
  • other structures (fuel storage buildings, safeguard auxiliary buildings, diesel buildings, etc.): reinforcement and concreting operations have continued on buildings in addition to electrical and mechanical assembly;
  • operational service centre: finishing work performed in roofed-in areas and electrical assembly completed;
  • turbine hall: installation of components such as condenser continues and work has begun on installation of first steam lines;
  • sea outfall structure: completion of tunnelling machine digging on gallery and connection to sea outfall shaft.

ASN carried out 8 inspections of the Flamanville 3 site in 2007, 14 in 2008 and 24 in 2009. In 2010, ASN has programmed 24 inspections of which 15 have been performed to date. Additional inspections will be made as needed. More than two-thirds of planned inspections will focus on engineering issues and are timed with progress on construction work (current civil engineering work, mechanical assembly, electrical systems, etc.). Other inspections concern general issues (management of safety, quality in the context of the order of 10 August 1984, organisational and human factors, emergency resources, worksite impact on neighbouring reactors in operation, contractors, etc.).

ASN continues to fulfil its role with regard to labour inspection. During the first half of 2010, three inspections focusing on site safety and working conditions were performed, including use of cranes and acceptance of bridge cranes for the turbine hall. The labour inspector also attended technical meetings on worksite activities and the site supervisory committee meeting bringing together EDF and union representatives.

In addition, ASN inspected engineering departments responsible for construction and monitoring of detailed design studies as well as those in charge of monitoring qualification and manufacturing efforts. In 2009, ASN performed four inspections on various EDF entities contributing to the project and three inspections of sub-contractors and suppliers of components for EDF. For 2010, ASN has planned eight inspections of engineering departments of which three have been completed to date: one was performed on an engineering department and two on supplier workshops.

To date in 2010, nearly 400 inspections concerning manufacture of nuclear pressure equipment including the reactor coolant system were carried out by ASN or approved inspection bodies at ASN's request. On 29 and 30 March 2010, ASN performed a joint inspection with the Finnish safety authority STUK on the supplier for AREVA NP that is responsible for manufacturing operations on the Flamanville 3 reactor coolant system.