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France's EDF gets approval for fuel loading at nuclear plant

France's ASN regulator said on Tuesday it had authorized the startup of EDF's Flamanville EPR reactor, which will allow stateowned power business EDF to load nuclear fuel into it.

EDF can then do the start-up tests and start commercial operation of the long-delayed reactor, ASN stated.

EDF has said it would start fuel packing this month in the past connecting it to the grid in mid-2024. The nuclear operator declined to discuss the timeline for fuel loading.

WHY IT is necessary

The Flamanville 3 will be the very first nuclear reactor connected to the grid given that the Civaux 2 atomic power plant in 1999, and will have the ability to produce about 1.6 gigawatts (GW) per hour, making it the biggest reactor in the country.

CONTEXT

* The reactor was at first expected to enter into service in 2012 before years of delays due to problems with knowledgeable workers, website monitoring, and parts making.

* Expenses for the Flamanville job, originally approximated at 3 billion euros