Flamanville 3

The Flamanville 3 station is installed on a single site on the west coast of Cotentin, at the foot of a granite cliff that is 70 metres high.
 

A flagship station

Even safer, more economic, more efficient; Flamanville 3 is a standard-setting station that is shaping the future of nuclear production.
 
The EPR is the third generation of the most widely used reactor in the world: the pressurized water reactor (PWR). This new reactor is even safer, more environmentally friendly and more efficient. It was designed in a "revolutionary" manner in order to benefit from the experience gained over 30 years by French and German designers and operators.
This new reactor, with a capacity of 1650 MW (as opposed to 1450 for the most recent reactors), will consume 17% less fuel by using more efficient assemblies and superior turbine performance.
 
The Flamanville 3 "prototype" provides an opportunity for Enel to train a new generation of engineers and technicians, capable, in time, to take over and to design, build and operate new nuclear reactors. This new generation of engineers will also support the construction of power plants in Italy.

A very high level of safety

The EPR reactor is equipped with a very high level of protection. In particular, four backup systems coexist, each capable of ensuring by itself one of the two safety functions essential to protect humans and the environment in all circumstances: to stop the nuclear reaction and to cool the reactor.
 
These four systems are:

• A spreading area in case of nuclear meltdown.
• A double containment area with ventilation and filtration.
• A system of heat evacuation from the enclosure by four independent safety systems.
• A water reservoir internal to the enclosure.

Clean energy without emitting CO₂

The nuclear power plant Flamanville 3, in the same way as all other nuclear power plants, will produce electricity without emitting CO₂, which contributes to the fight against the greenhouse effect and climate change.
 
Since the beginning of its nuclear program, EDF has shown continuous progress in being environmentally friendly. The environmental targets set for the EPR are ambitious and aim to minimise the impact of the plant on the environment.
 
The design and operation goals of the EPR allow for, in particular:

• a more efficient use of fuel to produce electricity; a substantial reduction of 17% in fuel consumption compared to reactors of 1300 MW;
• a significant reduction in discharges of radioactive material in liquid and gaseous form against the best production units of the French nuclear plants (-30%, except for carbon 14 and tritium, for which the quantities are equivalent to the reactors currently in operation);
• a production of radioactive waste reduced by 30%.