As for the construction of Olkiluoto 3 in Finland, FA3 is faced with the difficulties inherent in a first-of-a-kind reactor, since the French reactor has not benefitted from experience gained on the Finnish construction project for reasons of industrial organization and schedule. The cost put forward by EDF is therefore that of a next-generation, first-of-a-kind reactor in France.
The Taishan 1 and 2 reactors under construction in China – respectively the third and fourth of this reactor system – are taking full advantage of the construction experience from the two first-of-a-kind EPR™ reactors in France and Finland.
By way of example, the number of engineering hours was reduced by more than half between the OL3 and Taishan projects, and the schedule from the first concrete pour to placement of the dome was reduced by 23 months, while steam generator manufacturing and delivery took two years less. The total construction schedule for the EPR™ reactors in China should thus be 40% shorter than that for OL3. Taishan 1 construction is currently the fastest of any reactor in the world, regardless of generation.
This experience factor is bolstered by AREVA’s continuous optimization of the EPR™ system through its “Competitive EPR™” program. The objective is to optimize the cost and the construction schedule of the EPR™ reactor by pooling certain engineering work, among other things.
The EPR™ reactor is currently the only reactor technology to have received construction permits in three countries (France, Finland and China), and its design will soon be certified in the United Kingdom and the United States.The findings of the supplementary safety assessments (SSA) recently conducted in France and elsewhere in Europe confirmed the EPR™ reactor’s major advances in safety, with key safety principles emerging from the Fukushima accident incorporated into its design.