New reactors for EDF in France

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Moxi
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Joined: Sun Oct 31, 2021 3:46 pm

New reactors for EDF in France

#1

Post by Moxi »

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/f ... 9d3&ei=147

This will be interesting to watch on a number of footings, government subsidized loans - iirc the EU stopped the UK government from doing something similar a while back - have views in the EU changed with the changes in the international power supply chain ? The strike price is much less than Hinckley C but still touted by the article as high for the French market ? Can France deliver their reactors any faster and cheaper now that they have experience from Flamanville and Hinkley C ?

Interesting times ahead.

Moxi
dan_b
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Re: New reactors for EDF in France

#2

Post by dan_b »

Apparently the method of financing of these new reactors, via a state-subsidised (interest free/ low interest) loan, was approved by the EU for a new nuclear programme in the Czech Republic recently.

EDF has been talking about an EPR2 reactor for a little while now - apparently taking the lessons from EPRs to date and that they'll be less complex and therefore quicker and less expensive to build. Ahem.

Wikipedia tells us this of the design modifications

"The EPR2 requires 250 types of pipes instead of 400 for the EPR, 571 valves instead of 13,300 valves for the EPR, and 100 types of doors instead of 300 in the EPR. The EPR2 also uses more prefabricated components, and the electrical buildings can be completely prefabricated. The fourth emergency/safety cooling system/train of the reactor is removed which means maintenance can only be performed when the plant is shut down. This train was added at the request of German electricians in the original EPR design to allow for on-power maintenance. The core catcher has been modified
".

EDF is planning three pairs of EPR2 plants with the first pair at Penly followed by a pair each at the Gravelines, northeast of Penly near Calais, and either Bugey, to the east of Lyon, or Tricastin, south of Lyon near Avignon.

They've already started preparatory ground works at Penly.
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Mart
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Re: New reactors for EDF in France

#3

Post by Mart »

As I understand it, the biggest problem/cost of nuclear, is that the build cost expenditure is over a long time, with the subsequent build up of huge amounts of financing costs, before these can even start to be repaid.

So France covering those costs, will help nuclear immensely, but unless I'm missing something obvious, that helps the nuclear cost, via state subsidy support, which when paid by the country, works out the same as a higher leccy cost. So there is no win here, just a way to finance expensive nuclear gen?

Or am I misunderstanding the whole issue/process?
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Swwils
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Re: New reactors for EDF in France

#4

Post by Swwils »

The energy has a higher value because of the capacity factor.
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