EDF Energy, a leading European energy service provider has decided Wednesday to delay the launch of its first European Pressurized Reactor (EPR) nuclear power plant in northern France to 2016, two years later than previously scheduled.
The first EPR (Evolutionary Power Reactor) nuclear plant at the Flamanville city is designed to adopt the technology of the third generation pressurized water reactor (PWR).
The group attributed the new delay to both structural and economic reasons, citing two serious accidents that hindered civil engineering work considerably for the first half of 2011.
This is the second delay of the nuclear plant construction, which has put back the production date from 2012 to 2014, driving up the construction cost from primarily estimated 3.3 billion euros (4.69 billion U.S. dollars) to around 6 billion euros (8.53 billion dollars).
Given the rising safety concerns after Japan's Fukushima nuclear crisis, comprehensive analyses as part of the safety assessment audits would be submitted to the Nuclear Safety Authority in September, EDF said in a statement.
With 95 percent of its electricity generated by nuclear and water power, EDF ranks as the leading power producer in Europe and runs 58 reactors in France.
