In fact such incidents happens regularly

It is one of the most sensitive subjects for EDF. And its low point Lord. After having dropped last year 3.4 points, at 80.2, the rate of availability of its nuclear plants could again back this year, following technical problems which forced the company to extend its judgments in slices. The electrician, refuses to give a figure before the end of the year, but it is not excluded that availability rates, also known as "Kd" in the jargon, drops to 79. Some fear even worse. It would be far from the target of 85 posted for 2011! An objective is corrected: at the time of the introduction on the stock market, three years ago, the Group was a rate of 84 in 2007...

From the story

Internally, it simply says that on "did reach not necessarily the goal of 85 for 2011 in a linear manner." And most importantly, it was noted that by using more available plants can compensate for a "Kd" down. The subject is anecdotal: at EDF, a point of availability represents approximately 200 million euros of operating profit. That explains the attention of the shareholders, including at the highest level of the State, for this very technical a priori ratio. "Unlike the rates him outside in large part, on topics such as this, it's of the core business of the company", says an expert.

Beginning of the year, Pierre Gadonneix, EDF's CEO, had warned that work of leaching on steam generators work which last on average one to two weeks by reactor had EBIT impacted performance 2007 and would continue the impact this year and next year. However, he hoped to offset their effect by longer fuel production cycles and efficiency efforts (read below). Since then, the Group was confronted with several unexpected events.

Incident at Tricastin

The first concerns the case extended the plant Tricastin incident particularly delicate. September 8, two fuel assemblies remained suspended, clinging to the lid of the tank of the number 2 reactor, in their unloading. Only problem: to retrieve these assemblies, had to be build a specific robot, that the nuclear safety authority (ASN) validated on 22 October. Recovery operations have been completed since Monday. In the end, the reactor could be arrested for two months, while a partial judgment of slice normally lasts 40 days. In fact, such incidents happens regularly. Last year, a reactor of the plant of Paluel had arrested 100 days...

Second unexpected: an anomaly discovered in February on the Fessenheim plant, leading to a leak of highly radioactive, primary circuit, to the secondary circuit. Specifically, the steam generator tube was cracked from vibration due to a lack of support of the construction. The incident had no effect on the environment, but the ASN has asked late April EDF to proceed, "as a preventive measure", to the closure of several thousands of tubes "in anomaly of support" on eighteen reactors of 900 megawatts concerned. It is both the strength and the weakness of the French Park: its standardization provides economies of scale, but in case of anomalies on a unit must be the address everywhere.

This is what the electrician is used to do. However, this phenomenon of vibration fatigue continues to worry the DSC, which requested last week presented a "long-term strategy" on other plants. The Group has two months to respond. In the end, "cannot exclude new work" on the other reactors, of 1,300 and 1,450 megawatts, explains Olivier Gupta, Deputy Director General of the ASN.

Should this be the case, the rate of availability of EDF would again result. There is indeed a week to cap the tubes of a reactor. All that the group will also face a more significant number of decadal visits, on average lasting 90 days.