EDF
delayed the restart of 1,300 megawatt (MW) Flamanville 1 in the
north of France by more than a month to Dec. 15 from Nov. 11.
The reactor has been offline since Sept. 18 for planned
maintenance.
Restart of Flamanville 2, which has similar capacity and has
been offline since last January, was delayed by two months to
Jan. 31, 2020. The reactor is undergoing its third 10-year
overhaul.
A spokesman for state-controlled EDF, which operates France's 58
nuclear reactors, said there were no major issues at the
reactors but the company is contending with a massive backlog of
maintenance operations.
EDF lowered its 2019 nuclear power generation forecast in France
by 1.2 percentage points to about 390 terawatt hours (TWh) last
week, citing prolonged maintenance outages at its reactors.
It cited the overlapping of some intensive operations in several
plants that have resulted the extension of planned shutdowns,
including at the Flamanville plant.
French nuclear regulator ASN put the Flamanville 1 and 2
reactors under increased surveillance in September over
shortcomings in maintenance and contractor oversight.
Nuclear power from France's reactors covers about 75% of the
country's electricity needs. Of the 58 reactors, 19 are
currently offline for planned maintenance, according to grid
operator RTE.
A trader said reactor availability for this time of the year is
at its lowest in eight years, though mild temperatures and low
gas prices are easing the pressure.
(Reporting by Bate Felix; Editing by David Goodman)
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