According to the French Court of Audit (Cour des Comptes), the estimated construction cost of EDF’s 1.650 EPR nuclear project in Flamanville might rise to €19.1bn (+€6.7bn, including €4.2bn in financial costs) due to additional costs. Consequently, the production cost of the electricity generated by the EPR could reach between €110/MWh and €120/MWh.
The Flamanville project was initially expected to be commissioned in 2013 (completion of construction in late 2012) at a cost of €3.3bn. Technical problems have led to significant delays and cost escalation. In October 2019, EDF revised the construction schedule for the nuclear project and raised the estimated construction cost by €1.5bn to €12.4bn, after the adoption of a scenario for upgrading the main secondary system penetration welds with robots at the project. Consequently, EDF didn't plan to load fuel before late 2022 and planned to replace the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) in 2024. In March 2020, the French government allowed EDF to postpone the deadline for commissioning its 1,650 MW EPR in Flamanville, extending it to 2024.
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