First French nuclear reactor Tricastin 1 approved to operate beyond 40-year mark

EDF’s French nuclear reactor Tricastin 1 has been approved to operate for another 10 years. It is the first PWR-type reactor in France that can generate electricity after 40 years of operation. France’s nuclear regulator opened the way to extending its lifetime to 50 years in 2021. Two new EPR2 nuclear units could be built at the Tricastin power plant site in the future.

France’s nuclear regulator, the Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire (ASN), decided that the Tricastin 1 unit can continue operating for another 10 years. The ASN issued its decision based on the fourth periodic safety review. It also made further recommendations on seismic safety and measures to be taken during heatwaves.

"ASN considers that the findings of the reactor’s fourth periodic safety review, the measures planned by EDF and the measures taken in response to ASN’s safety decision make it possible to achieve the objectives set," ASN said in a press release.

The nuclear unit is owned by energy company EDF, which operates another 31 PWR nuclear reactors. The ASN review also covered safety measures already implemented and planned, as well as public consultation on them.  By the end of 2022, for example, EDF had to reinforce the channel supplying cooling water to the plant so that it could withstand an earthquake.

The Tricastin power plant in the southeast of the country has a total of 4 reactors with a combined installed capacity of 3,6 GW. EDF is also considering building two new EPR2-type reactors at the site.

50-year lifetime for French PWRs

The 900 MW PWR-type nuclear unit is the first in France to receive approval to generate electricity for 50 years after its start-up. In 2021, ASN announced that reactors could operate for ten years longer than originally planned. The regulator made the lifetime extension conditional on carrying out the required modifications and conducting regular inspections of the equipment. Most of France’s 900 MW PWR reactors were commissioned in the 1970s and 1980s, and are therefore nearing the end of their originally planned lifetimes.