The leak could delay the reactor’s planned Jan. 8 restart, an industry source familiar with the situation told Reuters on Monday.
“It is too soon to establish what impact this hazard will have on the duration of the reactor’s standstill,” EDF said, adding it was premature to suggest this would delay the reactor’s restart.
The Civaux 1 reactor has been shut since August 2021 for scheduled 10-year maintenance. Work on the plant had already been delayed by a week and EDF now faces “a potential major further delay”.
Nuclear regulator ASN said EDF had to hand over a report on the incident before any decision could be taken on any timing of the restart.
Civaux 1 is among a series of reactors that EDF hopes to restart early enough to be able to produce sufficient power this winter.
