EDF Struggles With Nuclear Reactor Maintenance, Safety Body Says

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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-09-15/edf-struggles-with-nuclear-reactor-maintenance-safety-body-says.html

EDF Struggles With Nuclear Reactor Maintenance, Safety Body Says
By Tara Patel 2014-09-15T10:37:25Z

Electricite de France SA, the world’s biggest nuclear power generator, is struggling to keep up with the maintenance requirements of its aging reactors, according to the regulator.

The state-controlled utility, whose 58 reactors generate three-quarters of French power, has embarked on a round of repairs and safety improvements to meet tougher standards after Japan’s Fukushima meltdown and increasing demands of old plants.

“There are delays and complications and some could affect safety,” Pierre-Franck Chevet, head of the Autorite de Surete Nucleaire, said in an interview in Paris.

EDF is at a crossroads as lawmakers consider a bill that could lead to the closure of reactors before 2025 in a bid to lower France’s reliance on atomic power. Over the same period, the utility has said it needs to spend 55 billion euros ($71 billion) to improve safety and extend the lives of plants. EDF missed an output target last year, blaming long halts.

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1. "may as well be any U.S. utility...wrench time and culture of many maintenance departments is below

http://www.nucpros.com/content/struggling-maintenance-edf-struggles-nuclear-reactor-maintenance-safety-body-says

Struggling with Maintenance? EDF Struggles With Nuclear Reactor Maintenance, Safety Body Says

Submitted by NUCBIZ on September 17, 2014 - 11:19

by Bob Meyer

This is a Bloomberg News article, it is about EDF, but it may as well be any U.S. utility also, training workers, fixing faults, organizing reactor halts, here too. This article strikes a cord, maintenance effeciencies. The U.S. wrench time and culture of many maintenance departments is below standards, wrench time is low. Preparation to do a job takes longer than the job itself. This is one area the industry executives and leaders need to take a look at. Here is the article...

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