Crack in nuclear power plant in France: alarm issued

French energy provider EDF has announced that a larger-than-expected crack has been observed in the emergency water pipe of a reactor at the Penly 1 nuclear power plant in the Seine-Maritime region.

In the statement, it was indicated that after the detection of the crack, the activities of the reactors in many nuclear power plants, including the power plant in question, were stopped for safety reasons. The crack is considered to be related to corrosion detected in many reactors in 2021.

Julien Collet, director of the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN), also stated that the cessation of activities will not last for months.

On February 13, a radioactive leak was detected at the oldest nuclear power plant in the country, which supplies electricity to the city of Lyon. EDF stated that high levels of tritium leakage were observed in measurements carried out in December 2022 in wastewater from two reactors at the Bugey nuclear power plant, 30 kilometers from Lyon. (AA)