Press Release

EDF has submitted its 19 supplementary safety reports for the nuclear sites that are currently operating and those that are under construction to the ASN. This in-depth review of the design of power plants post-Fukushima was launched at the request of the French government, in accordance with the specifications published by the ASN on 5th May 2011.

The reports involved reassessing the existing power plants along with those under construction (including EPRs) and checking the safety margins of installations in relation to:

-         the risks of earthquakes and floods,

-         the simultaneous loss of the cooling source and the electricity supply,

-         the consequences of serious accidents,

-         the applicable rules relating to subcontracting.

These assessments, dealing with the whole site and carried out by over 300 EDF engineers, involved considering extreme situations beyond those taken into account when the nuclear installations were initially designed and further to the subsequent safety assessments that have already been carried out.

Firstly, these analyses demonstrate a good level of safety for all of EDF’s nuclear facilities. Supplementary measures post-Fukushima have been put forward to the ASN, taking potential situations even further with the aim of continuing to improve the level of safety at the plants. EDF’s nuclear fleet is indeed committed to the principle of ongoing improvement. Existing installations as well as new ones reap the benefits of feedback from all plants, learning from the outcome of accidents that take place all around the world.

Once the ASN has issued its instructions at the end of the year, EDF will put together an action plan to be spread over several years covering both the supplementary studies and the modifications that have been identified.