The operator of the French Cattenom nuclear power plant has been planning for several years to extend the reactor's runtime beyond 40 years. Currently, only Block 2 is connected to the grid. Blocks 1, 3, and 4 are currently undergoing maintenance and inspection but are expected to return to the grid in the future. Environment Minister Petra Berg has now visited the nuclear power plant to get an impression of the current situation.
„Despite significant investments in the modernization of the power plant, which have also been monitored by my office, Cattenom remains a failure-prone reactor that should not be kept online for such a long time,“ said Berg. „A lifetime extension is unacceptable solely due to general material fatigue. Although the upgrades are commendable, they will never bring the facility up to the ‘state of the art,’ meaning the level of today’s European safety standards.“
The minister nevertheless praises the open approach, the cross-border communication, and the joint exercises in which the Saarland Ministry of the Interior is also involved. Berg: "As open as the exchange is, the reactor in Cattenom remains a safety risk for the population and the environment. In the long term, a shutdown remains our goal."
French nuclear power plants do not have a fixed operating lifetime but are designed for 40 years. A major inspection takes place every ten years (Visite Décennale, VD), after which the French nuclear safety authority ASN issues an operating license for another 10 years. For Unit 4, the start of the 10-year inspections (VD 3) is scheduled for March 2023. Unit 1 will reach an operating lifetime of 40 years in 2026 as the first at the site.
