The French nuclear company Framatome is investigating a possible incident in a nuclear power plant in China. The company said on Monday in Paris that it was monitoring “one of the functional parameters” of the nuclear power plant in Taishan in southern China, which is around 140 kilometers west of Hong Kong. The US television broadcaster CNN had previously reported a possible leak that had existed for a long time.
So far, the power plant has been working within the safety requirements, explained the Framatome Group, which had helped to build the nuclear power plant. There are two new type of pressurized water reactors (EPR) in service. Framatome admitted, however, that there was a “performance problem”. You work with experts to examine the situation and solve possible problems. According to the available data, however, the Taishan nuclear power plant operates within the safety parameters.
Framatome belongs to the French energy group EDF, which has a 30 percent stake in the Chinese power plant. EDF announced on Monday that there was an “increase in the concentration of certain noble gases in the primary circuit” in one of the two reactors. The occurrence of these gases is “a well-known phenomenon”.
The only pressurized water reactor in operation worldwide
The two pressurized water reactors in Taishan are so far the only ones in the world that are already supplying electricity. Further power plants with such reactors are being built in Great Britain and France, among others. A new building in Flamanville, northern France, was delayed due to security issues. The French nuclear regulator criticized, among other things, cracks in the jacket of the reactor.
CNN reported, citing a letter from Framatome to the US authorities, that there was a possible “leak” in the nuclear power plant. According to the report, after a week of examining the incident, the US government came to the conclusion that the plant was not yet at “crisis level”. Accordingly, there were also talks between Washington and the French government about the Taishan nuclear power plant. (AFP / kes)
Published: 06/15/2021, 02:33 am
Last updated: June 15, 2021, 2:59 am