The first power unit of the Flamanville NPP in northwestern France in the Lower Normandy region was shut down due to signs of corrosion in emergency systems.
This was reported by the French edition of News Front on Wednesday, September 18.
According to reports, damage was noticed only now, although more recently a check was carried out at the power unit. Traces of corrosion were found on the mounting brackets of the auxiliary system. It is noteworthy that the second power unit of the station is already turned off. Thus, today the nuclear power plant stopped generating electricity.
According to the administration of the power plant, the resumption of work will depend, first of all, on the assessment of the nature of the repair work. Previously, the shutdown will last at least until October 2.
It should be noted that at the Flamanville NPP, accidents have occurred twice in the last decade. So, in October 2012, there was a leak of radiation inside one of the power units when the reactor was at the final stage of start-up after maintenance. The system had to be stopped again.
The second incident occurred in February 2017, when an explosion occurred in the engine room of the first power unit, which led to a fire. After the incident, reactor No. 1 was shut down.