Initiated in 2014 by EDF, the major refurbishment program is a major industrial program that relies on all the players involved in extending the life of nuclear facilities. It aims to the renovation and modernization of existing nuclear facilities.

Current status of the work

Currently, thanks to the participation of industrial partners, the major refurbishment program is well advanced. About forty ten-yearly outage programmes have already been carried out on the 900, 1300 and N4 reactors. The program for the fourth ten-yearly visits of the 900 reactors, which began at the end of 2019, is proceeding successfully.

In addition, major investments related to the feedback experience from Fukushima have been deployed : 56 ultimate backup diesels have been built and put into operation, and each plant has an ultimate water source.

The renewal of these large components, which improve production performance, has been carried out on many units: replacement of main transformer poles, renovation of turbines, new steam generators.

What next for the second phase of the major refurbishment ?

Major investment efforts on the nuclear fleet will have to be made beyond 2025, to allow the operation of the 20 1300 MW reactors beyond 40 years and to study the conditions of operation beyond 50 years of the 900 MW reactors.

Thus, EDF is now adjusting the cost of this program to 49.4 billion euros.

This sum also includes a revision of the estimated duration of scheduled maintenance outages (ten-yearly outages and partial outages), based on feedback from previous years, as well as the impact of the health crisis on the period 2020-2022.

Companies at the heart of the major refurbishment

The Major Renovation Program is based on cooperation. It brings together all the players involved in this industrial adventure: a program team, engineering, an operator, support functions and partner companies.

On February 11, 2022, the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Lot-et-Garonne, Tarn-et-Garonn:::e, Gers and Haute-Garonne, along with the EDF Golfech nuclear power plant and GIE Atlantique, organized a digital workshop for local companies to help them work in a nuclear environment. This opportunity, which brought together 69 interested local companies, to learn more about and seize the market opportunities that may arise from the Great Renovation.

In addition, numerous networks such as Cap’TEN and Magellan allow for ongoing exchanges with industrial partners and organize numerous meetings such as the annual meetings of the DPNT, regional business groups, service provider platforms and daily meetings in the field with project managers, business managers and supervisors.