French EPR – an absolute disaster

Greenpeace has condemned French President Nicolas Sarkozy's announcement of plans to build a second European Pressurised nuclear Reactor (EPR) in France: “Only a blind man could fail to see that the EPR has been an absolute disaster. Sarkozy's announcement is nothing short of lunacy. He should be cancelling the construction of France's current EPR, not ordering a new one.”

The French designed EPR is the flagship of the so-called "nuclear renaissance". But construction of the EPR has only started in Finland and France, and both experiences have been disastrous. Building of the EPR at Flamanville was recently halted due to chronic safety problems and in Finland costs for the construction of Olkiluoto 3 (OL3) have doubled to nearly €5 billion, the reactor has 1500 safety and quality deviations, and is two and a half years behind schedule.

Reports on the EPR

1. On 27 May 2008 the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) suspended construction on the concrete base of the EPR at Flamanville. In June, despite the fact that none of the safety problems halting construction in the first place had been addressed, the ASN allowed building to restart. Greenpeace activists successfully blockaded gravel, sand and concrete supplies to the site for 9 days. http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/greenpeace-activists-block-french-nuclear-reactor260608

2. Dedicated website on the Finnish reactor

3. EPR and jetliner risk (by Large & Associates), May 2006.

4. EPR Factsheet, Greenpeace, May 2008

5. Olkiluoto 3 Factsheet, Greenpeace, March 2008

6. Implications of the safety problems found at Olkiluoto (by Helmut Hirsch)

7. Finnish Nuclear Safety Regulator reveals new violations at Olkiluoto, Greenpeace Nordic, May 2008

8. Review of Finnish Nuclear Safety Authority Assessment of Olkiluoto 3 by Large & Associates), September 2005

9. Full English translations of ASN (French nuclear safety agency) letters about problems at Flamanville-3 EPR construction. Letter 1 , Letter 2, Letter 3