In early February 2017, Europe was shaken by a threatening message that an explosion had occurred at the Flamanville nuclear power plant in France. Many in neighboring countries were then afraid of the second Chernobyl. Environmentalists were quick to assure that there was no cause for concern: there were no significant releases of radioactive substances into the atmosphere.
Beginning of state of emergency
It happened in the morning, half past nine. The fire broke out in the engine room, where there was no nuclear fuel. The third power unit, which had just begun to be built, was on fire. Rescue teams, firefighters, emergency doctors arrived. And there was work for them. Five people were poisoned by smoke. The cause of the fire was said to be a short circuit. The management of the enterprise and the authorities of the prefecture decided to turn off one of the operating power units.
Footage from the scene spread across the network. The authorities hastened to notify the population that the people need not worry. The emergency was given the definition of "the biggest accident."
Flamanville Features
Flamanville is one of the leading nuclear power plants in France. It is located on the coast of the English Channel, on the Cotentin Peninsula, twenty-three kilometers from Cherbourg.
Its construction began in 1979. The two reactors were commissioned alternately in 1986 and 1987. The capacity of each is 1300 MW.
Before the fire, two power units were operating. In December 2007, the construction of the Third Reactor was started, according to the advanced EPR technology, the capacity of which should be 1650 MW. This is four percent of France's electricity consumption. The population opposed its construction. In their opinion, there are already too many nuclear power plants in France. In addition, the accident at this nuclear power plant is not the first time. In 2012, there was already a radiation leak at a nuclear power plant in France. The operating company put the reactor into cold shutdown mode for six hours. Although in fairness it can be noted that there were no serious incidents, the second and higher levels at the station.
The fire opened the "atomic abscess" of France
The explosion at a nuclear power plant in France stirred up long-term problems in the country's nuclear energy industry. The commission of inquiry identified two main problems. One of them is the high carbon content in steel parts produced by a large French company. Secondly, inconsistencies were found in the reports, falsification of data on the quality control of the parts used at the nuclear power plant. For the first time after inspections, back in 2014, these problems were discovered onFlamanville. Many components that were planned to be used have the same defects.
This was followed by inspections at other nuclear power plants in France, which revealed the use of steam generators containing carbon at 18 reactors. And this significantly reduces the quality of the material.
All nuclear power plants in France need a long overhaul, as most of the complexes are over thirty years old. And with each check, the number of violations grows. Only at Flamanville they increased tenfold. This demonstrates that France's nuclear power industry is in a deplorable state. The country needs to take urgent action so that the fear of Europeans does not become a reality.
