one to one-and-a-half 1,600-MW EPR units per year beginning in 2020 over at least 20 years, according to a document the utility submitted this month to France's Financial Markets Authority (AMF) in preparation for the government's planned initial public offering of EDF stock this fall.
EDF said this strategy would "permit replacement of the majority of today's nuclear power units with EPR," the advanced PWR model proposed by Framatome ANP. "This solution is preferred at present, in light of the economic performance of nuclear (power), the stability of costs it permits, and its respect of environmental constraints," the utility said. EDF has 58 PWRs on line today, with a combined capacity of 63,130 MW and an average age of 19 years. They provided 87% of EDF's total generation in 2004.
<SNIP>
Enel partnership
EDF also addressed the "industrial partnership" in EPR recently concluded with Italian utility Enel (NW, 16 June, 7). Under that accord, Enel will take a 12.5% stake in Flamanville-3 and pay the corresponding share of capital, operating, procurement and fuel management costs, as well as costs for decommissioning and long-term waste manage-ment.
<SNIP>
Enel has bought a controlling interest in Slovak utility SE a.s. and has committed to building two more nuclear units
at SE's Mochovce site.
Enel also is interested in building nuclear capacity at home, but the country must first overcome a deep-seated mindset against nuclear. All Enel's reactors were shut after a national referendum in 1987, but Italy now has the most expensive electricity in Europe. Italian firms have continued to participate in work on advanced reactor designs, notably Westinghouse's AP1000. <SNIP>
