France has successfully connected its new Flamanville 3 nuclear reactor to the electrical grid this morning, marking the first time in 25 years, as reported by the state energy company EDF.
The reactor began operations in September, ahead of the grid connection, 12 years later than originally planned, and at a cost of about 13 billion euros—four times the initial budget.
“EDF teams successfully connected the Flamanville EPR to the national grid for the first time at 11:48 a.m. The reactor is now producing electricity,” said EDF.
With a capacity of 1.6 gigawatts, the Flamanville 3 reactor is the largest in France and one of the most powerful in the world, alongside China’s Taishan reactor (1.75 gigawatts) and Finland’s Olkiluoto. This is the first reactor connected to the grid since Civaux 2 in 1999 and comes at a time when France is seeing record exports of electricity.
EDF plans to build six more reactors to fulfill President Emmanuel Macron’s energy transition pledge, although the funding for these projects remains uncertain.
