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Okay, I didn't know that: > One major driver of Hinkley Point C’s costs is that EDF were effectively forced to build a first-of-its-kind reactor design by the
by sofixa 3y ago
Okay, I didn't know that:
> One major driver of Hinkley Point C’s costs is that EDF were effectively forced to build a first-of-its-kind reactor design by the Office for Nuclear Regulation. To win regulatory approval in the UK, EDF had to make roughly 7,000 design changes from the reactor design they use in France. Not only do the design changes mean that 25% more concrete and 35% more steel is needed during construction, but also that many lessons EDF have learnt the hard way in France can’t be easily applied in the UK.
This is absurd, and explains a lot.
In any case, a lot has been learned from Flamanville (where there were poor welds that introduced years of delays) and Olkiluoto. The next batch of EPRs, probably of the EPR2 design which implements those hard and costly lessons, should be drastically quicker and cheaper to build. We'll see how Penly progresses.
- aredox 3y agoBefore you say it's absurd, have you read the rationale behind the changes requested? Chesterton's fence applies.
- sofixa 3y agoI haven't but I'm going to go on a limb and say that if a reactor design is fine for north France, southeastern Finland, south China... it's probably fine for south England.
- toomuchtodo 3y agoJust build it in Northern France then and add capacity to the UK interconnector, versus building it in the UK. Ship the electrons if you can't ship the tech. https://www.nationalgrid.com/national-grid-ventures/interconnectors-connecting-cleaner-future https://www.nationalgrid.com/national-grid-ventures/intercon...
- lazide 3y agoThat way France can put the screws to England even harder the next time they have their typical spats.
- aaron695 3y ago[dead]
- euroderf 3y agoWhere might I find a readable summary of "lessons learned" for Olkiluoto 3 ?
- sofixa 3y agoAt EDF, with the EPR2 design, e.g. https://www.edf.fr/groupe-edf/produire-une-energie-respectueuse-du-climat/lenergie-nucleaire/nous-preparons-le-nucleaire-de-demain https://www.edf.fr/groupe-edf/produire-une-energie-respectue...
- euroderf 3y agoFor whatever reason, google does not want to translate this.
- alalbertson 3y agoMeanwhile, the article touches on "if it's good enough for one regulator, it's good for the next." That's quite a difference between two first-world regulatory agencies.