I&C: AREVA responds satisfactorily to British regulator

The British Nuclear Regulator (HSE) has stated in a joint letter addressed to AREVA and EDF that both companies have "addressed satisfactorily" its concerns regarding the EPR™ reactor’s digital Instrumentation and Control (I&C) system. The letter was issued as part of the Generic Design Assessment (GDA*).

While the assessment of the EPR™ continues, there no longer are any showstoppers for the reactor to successfully complete the GDA process.

As part of the constant dialog between operators, constructors and British safety authorities, AREVA will continue to provide high quality and timely input, so that the HSE’s timetable to complete a meaningful assessment of the EPR™ by June 2011 will be met.

The EPR™ reactor is currently the most powerful reactor in the world and meets the highest safety standards. It is currently being built in Finland, France and China and the certification process is underway in the U.S.

Philippe Knoche, Senior Executive Vice-President for AREVA’s Reactors and Services Business Group, said: "We welcome the HSE’s decision to close the only main issue relating to the EPR™ reactor. Thanks to the high quality work of the teams, we have reached another milestone for this new generation I&C system after its architecture was validated in Finland this spring. This is also a clear recognition of the quality of the EPR™ design."

* The Generic Design Assessment (GDA) is a process to evaluate the design of reactors being considered for construction in the UK.