EDF Starts Blayais-3 Nuclear Plant; Current French Halts

Electricite de France SA started its 910-megawatt Blayais-3 nuclear power plant today after an unplanned halt on July 23, according to the nation’s grid operator Reseau de Transport d’Electricite.

RTE removed the start date for EDF’s Penly-2 reactor, which was scheduled to resume operations on July 31.

EDF, the world’s biggest nuclear power plant operator, has 41 reactors online, representing 70 percent of available nuclear capacity, RTE data show. EDF’s 58 atomic plants generate about 78 percent of the country’s power.

The following table lists EDF’s nuclear units that are out of service, their generating capacity in megawatts, when they stopped and the expected return date, if known, according to RTE. Two asterisks highlight an unplanned halt.

UNIT NAME                 MW         OUT        RETURN
Flamanville-1           1,330      July 21        --
Cattenom-3              1,300      July 21        --
Dampierre-1               890      July 14        --
Chinon B-1                905      July 14        --
Nogent-1                1,310      June 22        --
Blayais-4                 910      June 20        --
Cattenom-4              1,300    **May 29       July 31
Cruas-1                   915      May 26         --
Gravelines-5              910      May 19         --
Paluel-3                1,330      May 19         --
Dampierre-4               890      May 5          --
Gravelines-3              910      April 28       --
Tricastin-3               915      April 28       --
Penly-2                 1,330      April 5        --
Cruas-4                   915      March 24       --
Civaux-2                1,495      Feb. 18        --
Chooz B-2               1,500      Feb. 16        --

Source: RTE

To contact the reporter on this story: Rachel Morison in London at rmorison@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Lars Paulsson at lpaulsson@bloomberg.net