Maintenance of four nuclear reactors in France extended

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
25 Aug 2022 23:04

Four out of twelve of corroded reactors have had their maintenance extended for several weeks due to heavy corrrosion.

The nuclear complex in Fessenheim, eastern France, Friday Feb. 21, 2020 (AP Photo/Jean-François Badias)

French energy company EDF postponed the launch of four out of 12 nuclear reactors that had been shut down for maintenance over corrosion, French media reported on Thursday.

In May, the French Nuclear Safety Authority detected traces of corrosion on 12 nuclear reactors.

French broadcaster BFMTV reported that the maintenance of the said four reactors was extended for several weeks at the Cattenom and Penly nuclear power plants. However, energy output in 2022 will remain at the level of 280-300 terawatt hour, as announced previously.

This problem of corrosion on certain circuits weighs down the prospects for nuclear electricity production and financial results this year for EDF, whose government has planned 100% renationalization.

Currently, 32 out of 56 French nuclear reactors remain shut due to different reasons as Europe struggles with soaring energy prices, record drought, and abnormal heat.

The decision to fix reactors comes at a crucial time in the EU's history where member states reached a political agreement on July 26 for a voluntary reduction of gas demand by 15% this winter.

After Russia launched a military operation to denazify and demilitarize Ukraine and the imposition of several sanctions packages against Moscow, the energy situation deteriorated considerably, prompting EU countries to search for alternatives to Russian energy supplies.

So far, efforts to address this crisis have been pitiful. For instance, in Germany, recommendations to slow or halt the consumption of gas have already been issued weeks ago in order to stock up for the coming winter.

On August 8, it was reported that millions of German lower-income households will find it hard to pay their energy bills this winter amid a sharp rise in gas prices, according to Lukas Ievenkotten, head of the German Renters' Association.

On August 16, German Economy and Climate Action Minister Robert Habeck lamented the entirety of the country's business model, dismissing it as reliant on cheap energy imports from Russia that will never return.

Whereas in France, French President Emmanuel Macron has hosted MBS to discuss the importance of diversifying energy supplies to EU states. But far-right French leader Marine Le Pen urged the EU to put an end to sanctions against Russia.

On Monday, an NHS chief warned that soaring energy costs will kill more than 10,000 people in the UK this winter; a situation the NHS Confederation referred to as a "humanitarian crisis".

The EU has vowed to pursue the imposing of severe restrictions on Russia and some nation-members have recently launched a campaign to ban Russians from entering the Schengen zone.

The reality, however, is that Russia and its economy have been defying all the odds by growing at unprecedented rates.

The Russian foreign ministry revealed in April that it expects commodity flows with China to grow and trade with Beijing to reach $200 billion by 2024, according to the Interfax news agency, given that the West-led sanctions on Russia have driven Moscow to shift its economic ties and cooperation toward the East.

Earlier this month, it was reported that Russia's oil output returned to pre-war levels, producing around 10.8 million barrels a day, with new crude oil exports directed to Asia, most notably India, Turkey and other Middle Eastern countries.