Areva NP hopes to restart Creusot Forge foundry in coming weeks

Japan Steel Works

15/09/2017 09:05

* Creusot Forge already produced some Hinkley Point parts 
    * Awaits ASN approval to restart French production 
    * Areva NP says audits went well, confident of restart 
 
    By Geert De Clercq 
    LONDON, Sept 15 (Reuters) - French nuclear reactor maker 
Areva NP hopes to get regulator ASN's approval in coming weeks 
to restart its Creusot Forge foundry, which was halted last year 
following the discovery of manufacturing problems and falsified 
documents. 
    Creusot Forge in eastern France started producing some 
components in July for two planned reactors in Hinkley Point, 
western England, without objections from British nuclear 
regulator ONR and hopes to restart commercial production for the 
French utility EDF's  EDF.PA  nuclear fleet soon.  
    "In the coming weeks, in cooperation with the ASN and EDF, 
we will propose the restart of activities for the French fleet," 
Areva NP chief executive Bernard Fontana told Reuters at the 
World Nuclear Association conference in London.  
    Fontana said the restart was the ASN's call but added that a 
series of audits had gone well and that the firm was confident 
the foundry can resume commercial production.  
    As part of a government-funded rescue, reactor maker Areva 
NP will be split off from former integrated nuclear group Areva 
SA and will be bought by state-owned utility EDF, its main 
customer. The deal is expected to close by the end of the year.  
    Fontana said that Areva NP aims to make Creusot Forge a 
leading nuclear foundry again, able to make the biggest 
components, including nuclear reactor pressure vessels, which so 
far have been forged in Japan.  
    Fontana said the top and bottom of the reactor vessels for 
the two Hinkley Point reactors are produced by Japan Steel Works 
 5631.T , but that future vessels for its flagship European 
Pressurized Reactor (EPR) reactor would be made by Creusot 
Forge.  
    "We are confident that Creusot will become a top nuclear 
foundry again," he said. 
    The Hinkley Point reactor vessels are currently being 
assembled at Areva NP's Saint-Marcel plant, which will also 
assemble the UK reactors' steam generators.  
    Earlier this year, a top ASN official told Reuters that 
Creusot Forge's equipment was inadequate to make large nuclear 
components, which had contributed to the problems with carbon 
segration in the reactor cover and base of the EPR reactor EDF 
is building in Flamanville, northern France.  
    In June, the ASN ruled that the flawed cover was fit for 
service, but that it would have to be replaced by 2024. 
 urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N1JP5C1 
    EDF hopes to start the long-delayed Flamanville reactor late 
next year, although the ASN has said that schedule is tight.   
 
 (Reporting by Geert De Clercq; Editing by Keith Weir) 
 ((geert.declercq@thomsonreuters.com; +33 14949 5343; Reuters 
Messaging: Twitter: @gvdeclercq)) 
 
Keywords: EDF AREVA/FOUNDRY