Large crack discovered in Penly: French nuclear power plants must be shut down again Controversial sex offenses law is being changed again in Spain

The discovery of a major crack in a pipeline of a reactor at the Penly nuclear power plant will lead to longer shutdowns of other plants for checks, said the deputy chief of France’s nuclear safety agency (ASN). The newspaper “Le Monde” reports this on Wednesday evening. However, the problem will not lead to massive reactor shutdowns.

The nuclear safety authority had announced the previous day that the problem would also affect the nuclear power plants at Cattenom, Civaux, Chooz B and other reactors at the Penly power station in Normandy on the English Channel, according to the electricity company EDF. .

According to ASN information, a crack was found in Reactor 1 at Penly near a weld in a pipe of the safety injection system. The crack extends 6 inches (15.5 centimeters), which is about a quarter of the circumference of the pipe. The maximum depth is 2.3 centimeters with a cable thickness of 2.7 centimeters. According to the ASN, the safety of the pipeline was no longer proven. The crack had no impact on personnel or the environment. However, it compromises the safety function associated with cooling the reactor.

Due to the potential impacts and increased likelihood of rupture, ASN has classified the event as Level 2 on the International Nuclear Event Scale (INES) for the Penly reactor and Level 1 for the other affected reactors. The scale ranges from 0 (no or very little safety concern) to 7 (most serious release).

Corrosion problems had shut down a number of nuclear plants in France over the past year, some of them aging, and forced the country mired in the energy crisis to import more electricity, including from Germany. As of this year, EDF will subject all power stations to an inspection. The ASN has now asked EDF to review its strategy to take into account the newly identified issues. (sda/dpa)