Ordinary pressurized water reactors: the EPR project

Environmental issues such as the greenhouse effect are becoming increasingly sensitive, even for the general public. Nuclear power is a response to these concerns. However, the Chernobyl accident contributed to a change in the perception of risk. Despite the remarkable results achieved by power plants built in Western countries, and in particular by French and German plants, it has become clear that future reactors need to be even more robust in their accident-avoidance provisions, and even to take a new step forward in their design by taking into account situations involving a degraded core, or even fuel meltdown. Even in this scenario, the environmental consequences would be very limited.

This general situation has also prompted utilities, for whom nuclear power remains an attractive solution, to reflect on the characteristics and performance of the reactors of the future. At EDF's initiative, the main European utilities have drawn up a common general specification of their requirements: the EUR ("European utility requirements").

The EPR (originally "European pressurized water reactor", now "evolutionary power reactor"), a reactor model initially developed by French and German industrialists and power companies, had to meet not only the safety requirements jointly specified by the safety authorities in France and Germany, but also the EUR and special specifications of the power companies in both countries.

Two reactors based on this EPR model are already under development. The first is currently under construction in Finland. The second, approved by EDF on May 4, 2006, received its decree of authorization (DAC) on April 10, 2007.