September-October 2018 NPJ

"First- of-a Kind" Reactor By Jean-Bernard Ville, Framatome. Jean-Bernard Ville Jean-Bernard Ville, Senior Executive Vice President in charge of Framatome’s Large Projects Business Unit, has 20 years’ experience in the project management for large projects in tall buildings, airport infrastructures and in the nuclear industry. Responses to questions by Newal Agnihotri, Editor of Nuclear Plant Journal. The EPR: a reactor with increased safety and enhanced economic competitiveness Chairman's Note “Today, Framatome is involved in the six EPR reactors under construction worldwide: Taishan 1&2 in China, Olkiluoto 3 in Finland, Flamanville 3 in France and Hinkley Point C in the United Kingdom. The EPR reactor, specified for a 60-year operating lifetime and with a capacity of 1,650 MWe, is the first Generation III+ pressurized water reactor and has been designed to deliver unsurpassed levels of safety, durability and performance. All of Framatome’s expertise in nuclear project management and our lessons learned from the construction of numerous nuclear facilities in France and around the world, have gone into this genuine “first-of-a-kind” reactor model. The EPR therefore benefits from decades of research and development aimed at ensuring the safe and secure operation of the reactor.”- Bernard Fontana, Chairman of the Managing Board and CEO of Framatome. June 12, 2018. A bit of history… The EPR was developed by Framatome and Siemens, whose nuclear activities were combined in January 2001 to form Framatome ANP, a subsidiary of AREVA and Siemens. EDF and the major German electricity companies played an active part in the project. The safety authorities of the two countries joined forces to bring their respective safety standards into line and draw up joint design rules for the new reactor. The project had three objectives:  Meet the requirements of European utilities, as laid down in a joint specification, the “European Utility Requirements”. This specification was drawn up by electricity companies in Germany, Belgium, Great Britain, Spain, Finland, France and Sweden. The “European Utility Requirements” also make allowance for the specifications of operators in the United States, drawn up under the aegis of the Electricity Power Research Institute (EPRI).  Comply with the safety standards laid down by the French safety authority for future pressurized water reactors, in concert with its German counterpart. In October 2000, the safety options adopted for the EPR were validated by the French Standing Group of Experts for Nuclear Reactors, with the assistance of German experts.  Make nuclear energy even more competitive than energy generated using fossil fuels. To this end, generate electricity that is 10% cheaper than that generated in an N4 reactor. The basic designworkwas completed in 1999. It was followed by technical and economic optimization studies. Almost 2 million hours of design and development were devoted to the project. Main characteristics The EPR is based on proven technologies that include innovative features resulting from research programs carried out by the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) and its German counterparts. EPR is Generation III+, synonymous with significant economic and technical breakthroughs:  reduced electricity production costs, better use of fuel, reduced volumes of waste, improved availability, higher operating flexibility, fewer maintenance constraints and reduction in the doses received by operating and maintenance personnel.  higher resistance to external hazards (no major modifications were 20 NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2018 Design, Build & Maintain Nuclear Fleet