Explosion Hits French Nuclear Power Plant -- Update
10 February 2017 - 3:08AM
Dow Jones News
By Inti Landauro
PARIS--A fire and explosion forced French state-controlled
utility Electricité de France SA, or EDF, to shut down one of the
reactors of its Flamanville nuclear power plant Thursday morning,
the company said.
The fire and subsequent explosion happened in the "nonnuclear
zone" of the plant, which is located in northern France on the
English Channel shore. The fire started in a room where a huge
turbine transforms steam into electricity, the company said, adding
that the cause had not been determined.
The turbine is located in a long building a few dozen yards from
the nuclear reactor, which is isolated by a thick cement wall.
"The blaze was immediately controlled by the crews in the power
plant," EDF said.
EDF said it would carry out an internal investigation to try to
determine precisely what caused the fire and explosion and would
update local authorities and the country's nuclear regulator as
soon as possible.
EDF said that no one had been injured in the fire and explosion
and that there had been no environmental damage.
The incident comes as the safety of the 58 reactors the company
operates in France is being scrutinized. The French Nuclear Safety
Authority, the ASN, has ordered EDF to shut down a series of
reactors to test for flaws in the steel of reactor containment
areas.
The second reactor located on the site of Thursday's explosion
is still operating.
EDF is building a third reactor on the site, but the project is
over budget and years behind schedule.
At another EDF site, the Cattenom nuclear plant, a fire burned
down administrative offices on Jan. 31.
Write to Inti Landauro at inti.landauro@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 09, 2017 10:53 ET (15:53 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.