Borssele Nuclear Power Plant restarted following maintenance
On Sunday 16 June, the Borssele Nuclear Power Plant was restarted after a maintenance period that began on 5 April. The nuclear power plant’s annual maintenance lasted several more weeks than scheduled. Owner EPZ discovered that additional work was needed before the reactor could start up again. The Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ANVS) monitored this maintenance and we have established that the nuclear power plant can now restart and run safely again.
Major maintenance and fuel change
Over the last few months, the nuclear power plant supplied no electricity. For owner EPZ this was a good opportunity to do major maintenance. This time the entire reactor core was removed from the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) to allow for a variety of work activities. A ‘fuel change’ was also performed, during which around one-fifth of the uranium rods were replaced. These fuel rods power the nuclear power plant.
Monitoring by the ANVS
The maintenance was delayed due to additional work, for example resolving a power leak caused by a faulty stop valve in the turbine. During the maintenance period we monitored safety. This included performing various inspections at the nuclear power plant. These showed that it is now safe to turn the reactor back on.
Notifications
During the maintenance shutdown, EPZ made 2 notifications of a so-called ‘unusual event’. For example, there were some issues with ventilation in the reactor building. There were no adverse effects to safety. An unusual event is something that deviates from normal operational processes. Licensees such as EPZ have a reporting requirement, meaning they have to report unusual events to the ANVS.