Nukewatch Quarterly Fall 2019
The head of the French Nuclear Safety Authority said on Sept. 10, “At least five nuclear reactors are affected” by unsafe welding on giant steam generators, raising the possibility of shutting them down. The exact number of faulty generators is unknown. Montel News reported that perhaps 20 generators were faulty, having all been constructed by Framatome at its Saint Marcel factory. Next to reactor cores, and pools full of hot waste fuel rods, steam generators are some of the most important components of a nuclear reactor complex. The generators turn water into steam using heat from the reactor’s core. France’s 58 reactors typically hold two to four steam generators. —Reuters; Montel News; and WTVB News; Sept. 12, 2019
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