EDF aims for more effective maintenance schedule

PARIS (Reuters) - French nuclear operator EDF's improved management of reactor shutdowns and maintenance will be a key factor in the company returning production figures to previous levels in the years to come, its head of nuclear production Etienne Dutheil said on Wednesday.

Nuclear production fell to a 34-year low in 2022 after the discovery of stress corrosion disrupted a section of the fleet, stressing power supply, while neighbors scrambled to replace Russian gas deliveries following the invasion of Ukraine.

EDF is aiming for a rebound in nuclear production as early as this year and has set a goal of 400 terawatt-hours (TWh) for 2030, compared to the 300-330 TWh expected in 2023.

Dutheil said that reducing reactor maintenance downtime as part of its "Start 2025" project would notably involve creating dedicated teams for unit shutdowns, the development of young employees, and the optimisation of part replacements.

The company has had to repeatedly review its multi-year maintenance schedules following the pandemic and stress corrosion problems, and there are "lots of checks" still to make in 2024 due to the corrosion issue, Dutheil said.

The power group also confirmed its nuclear power output targets for 2023, 2024 and 2025, which includes a slight ramp up to an expected 335-365 TWh in 2025.

(Reporting by Benjamin Mallet, Dominique Vidalon; Writing by Forrest Crellin; Editing by Benoit Van Overstraeten and Louise Heavens)