The water leak has stopped. ASN is performing an inspection on site and has requested EDF to analyse the pump

On 6th April 2012, around 07 :00 (French time), ASN got confirmation by EDF that the leak in the primary pump n°1 of the reactor n°2 at the Penly NPP had stopped.

This incident on the pump did not lead to radiological consequences for the environment. ASN decided to classify the event at the level 1 of the INES scale.

The ASN regional division in Caen is performing today an inspection at the Penly NPP in order to analyse the causes of the incident. Accordingly to its obligation of transparency, ASN will publish the conclusions of the inspection on the ASN website www.asn.fr.

ASN has requested EDF to keep the reactor shut down and to analyse the pump.

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On 5th April 2012, around 19 :30 (French time), following a fire that started sooner during the day, ASN had been informed by EDF that a defect on a primary pump seal lead to a water leak above the normal values, this leak being collected by dedicated circuits.^[1]

This situation led EDF to implement incident management procedures in order to reduce the pressure and the water temperature in the primary circuit. This actions led to the stop of the leak around 04:00 (French time) on 6th April.

^[1] The primary pumps ensure the water circulation in the reactor primary circuit. In normal situation, a water injection inside some mechanical parts of the pump enables the cooling activity. This system is composed by circuits dedicated to the collection of this water. At the Penly NPP, internal damages in the pump lead to the collection of abnormal quantities of leaks, bigger than expected. The primary pumps are located in the reactor building.

 Press contact: Evangelia Petit, Press Department, tel.: 01 40 19 86 61, evangelia.petit@asn.fr