France's EDF to take more nuclear power plants offline for tests amid energy crunch

The state-controlled power company said it was making another cut in planned nuclear output because maintenance work will take more of its reactors offline

The cut in nuclear output is the latest in a series of technical setbacks linked to a problem engineers spotted with corrosion of high-pressure pipework inside some reactors.

State-controlled French power company EDF said it was making another cut in planned nuclear output because maintenance work will take more of its reactors offline.

It is the latest in a series of technical setbacks linked to a problem engineers spotted with corrosion of high-pressure pipework inside some reactors and comes amid the Europe-wide energy crunch.    

An EDF spokesman said as part of a programme to address that problem, checks would be carried out on all EDF's reactors. 

They would need to be off-line for the checks, but this could be done concurrently with other planned maintenance outages, limiting the impact, the spokesman said.

EDF said this took into account a busy programme of work on the reactors, with 44 outages for maintenance and inspection, including six 10-yearly inspections, plus two scheduled outages in 2022 that would continue into 2023.

EDF's nuclear fleet received a boost when French president Emmanuel Macron committed to building at least six next-generation EPR reactors, with billions of euros in public financing.

He set out plans by EDF to hire hundreds of engineers this year.   

French finance minister Bruno Le Maire, speaking to French broadcaster C News on Friday, said the extra investment would help EDF get beyond its engineering problems.

The government, two months out from a presidential election in which Mr Macron is expected to run, is concerned about mounting public anger over rising energy prices. 

• Reuters