PARIS (Reuters) - France’s state-controlled power group EDF (EDF.PA) pushed back the timetable for its Flamanville nuclear reactor project by a year, after it found further flaws, and added the project would now cost more than previously forecast.
FILE PHOTO: A general view of the construction site of the third-generation European Pressurised Water nuclear reactor (EPR) in Flamanville, France, November 16, 2016. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
EDF said Flamanville would now cost 400 million euros ($467.8 million) more than previously estimated, taking total construction costs to 10.9 billion euros from 10.5 billion - more than three times its original budget.
Reactors such as Flamanville are important in France since the country relies on nuclear energy for about 75 percent of its power, and politicians have debated whether France should cut back on nuclear energy.
EDF had warned in April that problems with weldings at the reactor under construction in Flamanville were worse than first expected.
EDF said on Wednesday that out of the 148 inspected welds at Flamanville, 33 had quality deficiencies and would be repaired.
“The EDF group has therefore adjusted the Flamanville EPR schedule and construction costs accordingly,” the company said in a statement.
The Flamanville 3 reactor had originally been expected to load nuclear fuel at the end of the fourth quarter of 2018, but EDF said this was now scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2019.
EDF shares were down 0.9 percent in early trading.
($1 = 0.8551 euros)
Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; editing by Jason Neely and Louise Heavens
Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
