Nuclear plant of Flamanville

The nuclear plant of Flamanville is located on the commune of Flamanville (Manche), on the west coast of the Péninsule of Cotentin, with the foot of a 70 meters high granitic cliff, to 25 km in the west of Cherbourg and to 20 km in the south of reprocessing the Plant of La Hague.

Flamanville 1 and 2

The power station lays out of two nuclear reactors with pressurized water of 1300 megawatts each one, brought into service in 1986 and 1987.

It produced 18,9 Tera Wattheure S in 2005, growth of 4% compared to 2004, corresponding to 4% of produced French electricity, and allowing the food of Basse-Normandie, Brittany and the Anglo-Norman islands.

In 2006, the two units produced 17,92 billion kWh. The annual production of the power station accounts for approximately 3,3% of the national figure.

In 2006,671 agents work with the power station of Flamanville.

Flamanville 3

; Context

See also: energy in France

In France, the owner of the nuclear capacity (EDF) anticipates a possible renewal of the power stations by 2020, to replace the sections REFERENCE MARK which will arrive at the end of the lifetime. In order to profit from an experience feedback of exploitation for the construction of engines as from 2020, EDF envisaged to build an head of series EPR on the site of the power station of Flamanville (Manche) for a startup in 2012. The nuclear plant of Flamanville had been designed to accommodate 4 sections (two are in activity in 2007), there is thus the possibility of building a new engine with reduced excavation work. The localization in edge of Mer is more favorable than the edge of river from the thermodynamic point of view (more important cold source and minimization of the impact of a possible news Canicule). The opponents with the EPR affirm that there exists a surplus production capacity in France and that the construction of the EPR of Flamanville would thus not be necessary.

In May 2005, Enel and EDF sign a letter of intent so that ENEL takes part to a total value of 12,5% with the project Flamanville 3. The managing director of Enel, Fulvio Conti, declares that, by its participation in the EPR, Enel would find the nuclear capacities lost after the referendum of 1987 in Italy. The file is blocked for political reasons, in particular by the sights expressed by ENEL on Suez. After the advertisement of the merger plan of Suez and GDF, Enel announces that the discussions will be resumed.

; Decision-making process A first debate takes place in 2002/2003 pennies the aegis of Nicole Fontaine, then minister with industry. EDF provides a file of owner building in 2004 in seen of a public debate. The law of orientation on the energy of July 13rd, 2005 provides the legislative framework for project EPR. This project is subjected to the public debate at the national level between October 2005 and February 2006. April 15th, 2006, of tens of thousands of demonstrators (nearly 30.000 people according to the organizers, 12.500 according to the police force and more than 20.000 according to the local general informations,) gathered with the call of the Collectif Stop EPR in Cherbourg, close to Flamanville to be opposed to the project. Association Greenpeace France launched a campaign entitled “ EDF, tomorrow I arrête ”, which aims at being opposed to project EPR by making pressure on EDF.

The public survey, precondition to the opinion of the prefect, is led from June 15th to July 30th, 2006 (the behavior in summer period of the public survey is blamed by the opponents at the project). On Saturday, March 17, 2007, of the demonstrations join together in 5 towns of France between 20.000 people according to the police force and 62.000 people according to the organizers of the Collectif Stop EPR.

April 11th, 2007, after opinion of the prefect and the nuclear Authority of safety, EDF is authorized by decree to build an engine EPR in Flamanville. Associations and political parties protest against the publication of this decree before the presidential elections.

; Building site The engine should be brought into service in 2012. According to EDF, the future building site of the EPR will count to 2000 people in phase of construction. Permanent manpower will be approximately 300 people.

January 3rd, 2007, a shooting of mine projected rocks on the installations of the engine n°2. The shootings of mines were then suspended although according to an official statement of EDF, " this event had consequences neither for the personnel working on the building site and the power station, nor on the operation of the " installations;.

; Economy of the project The engine will be dimensioned for a thermal power of 4.500 MW intended for the electrical production (1 650 MW). Its cost is estimated at 3,4 billion euros.

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