Paris: The French nuclear reactor or the EPR (European Pressurised Reactor) in Flamanville, Normandy made a historic leap by connecting to the national electricity grid on Saturday, 20 December; a first in 25 years.

This gigantic milestone puts France’s nuclear industry at the top spot on the world map, consolidating the country's position as one of the champions of low-carbon electricity in Europe and in the world.

“The Flamanville EPR produces its first electrons!” announced a jubilant Luc Remont, CEO of EDF (Electricité de France), the state-owned company operating the nuclear reactor. 

Since its reactor in Civaux in 1999, it has been a quarter of a century, that France, the country with the record number of the most nuclear power plants per capita added one more to its grid. It is after a colossal delay of 12 years that this new generation nuclear reactor, the most powerful in the French nuclear fleet with a capacity of 1600 MW, will contribute to France's electricity production and constitute a key step in the nuclear revival desired by Emmanuel Macron, the French President in 2022.

His dream finally come true, he rejoiced, “A great moment for the country. One of the most powerful nuclear reactors in the world, the Flamanville EPR, has just been connected to the electricity grid. Reindustrializing to produce low-carbon energy is French ecology. It strengthens our competitiveness and protects the climate.”

This victorious event comes with a staggering bill; the numerous technical setbacks have caused the deadlines and the cost to explode, estimated at 13.2 billion euros by EDF, four times the initial estimate of 3.3 billion.

In 2020, the Court of Auditors estimated it at 19 billion, by including the additional financial costs. Despite the mega delays and costs, the reactor is set to operate for at least 60 years and supply electricity to some two million homes each year.

Initially, this enormous installation will only produce a few megawatts of electricity. It will be operational at only around 25% of its full capacity. It will not reach full power until the summer of 2025. 

The connection of the Flamanville EPR to the grid comes at a key moment when nuclear power is experiencing a global renaissance. The nuclear revival announced by Emmanuel Macron in 2022 provides for the construction of six new EPR2, third-generation reactors, with an option for eight more

With a projected electricity production of 360 TWh in 2024, France remains the leading exporter of low-carbon electricity in Europe. The new Flamanville EPR will strengthen this strategic position, at a time when demand for decarbonised energy continues to grow.

This new-generation reactor with its capacity of electricity supply to two million households contributes directly to French and European climate objectives, while ensuring France's economic competitiveness thanks to low-cost, low-carbon energy.

Apart from the Flamanville 3 nuclear reactor, three other EPRs are in operation worldwide; two in Taishan, China and one in Olkiluoto, Finland. Two other units are under construction at Hinkley Point, in the southwest of England.