French nuclear power regulator ASN said Tuesday that an AREVA company audit found about 50 anomalies in reactor components that have been installed in French reactors. A statement from the regulator, however, said that AREVA had informed the regulator of about 400 components with potential irregularities that had been produced since 1965.
The investigation into the integrity of the AREVA-made parts was prompted by the discovery of anomalies in the reactor vessel of the new EPR reactor being build in Flamanville, France.
That discovery prompted the investigation of parts manufactured at a steel forging plant in Creusot, Reuters reported.
The regulator said it has asked AREVA to furnish a detailed list of the components involved. “The review will have to assess how serious these anomalies are and what the consequences are for the safety of the installations,” ASN said in a statement.
“These irregularities consist of incoherencies, modifications or omissions in manufacturing dossiers,” ASN said.
But the problem with the parts appears to have already surpassed the concept of faulty workmanship or manufacturing processing. On Monday, AREVA said it had found 400 falsified documents concerning the quality of parts.
“An operator conducted tests on metal parts then wrote down his findings on a host of parameters,” reported the Telegraph. “When a value was obtained at the upper end of the required norm, the written reports of certain manufacturing reports were allegedly modified,” according to Les Echos.
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It is unbelievable. I thought the traceability of parts is an important factor in the nuclear plants. I assume some heads will fall
