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France adds first nuclear reactor in 25 years to grid

by Reuters

   PARIS --

   France connected the Flamanville 3 nuclear reactor to its grid on
   Saturday morning, state-run operator EDF said, in the first addition to
   the country's nuclear power network in 25 years.

   The reactor, which began operating in September ahead of the grid
   connection, is going online 12 years later than originally planned and
   at a cost of about $13 billion -- four times the original budget.

   "EDF teams have achieved the first connection of the Flamanville EPR to
   the national grid at 11:48 a.m. The reactor is now generating
   electricity," EDF said in a statement.

   The Flamanville 3 European Pressurized Reactor is France's largest at
   1.6 gigawatts and one of the world's biggest, along with China's 1.75
   GW Taishan reactor, which is based on a similar design, and Finland's
   Olkiluoto.

   It is the first to be connected to the grid since COVAX 2 in 1999 but
   is being brought into service at a time of sluggish consumption, with
   France exporting a record amount of electricity this year.

   EDF is planning to build six new reactors to fulfill a 2022 pledge made
   by President Emmanuel Macron as part of the country's energy transition
   plans, although questions remain around the funding and timeline of the
   new projects.

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