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EPR2 Penly

The first construction site of France's nuclear revival

Illustration: nuclear civil engineering site on a clifftop

At Penly, in Seine-Maritime, EDF is building the first pair of EPR2 reactors of France's nuclear revival programme. An exceptional construction site, opened in 2024 at the foot of the Normandy cliffs, which is due to lead to the commissioning of a first reactor around 2038.

The EPR2 programme

The EPR2 is EDF's new generation of nuclear reactors, the successor to the EPR. It was designed to be simpler to build, drawing on the lessons of previous projects. The programme plans six reactors, built in pairs on three sites: Penly in Normandy, Gravelines in Hauts-de-France and Bugey in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Eight further reactors are under study.

Penly leads the way: the first pair will be built on this site, next to the two 1,300 MW reactors already in operation.

Illustration: nuclear construction site with two reactor containment buildings, a turbine hall and a crane

An exceptional construction site

To accommodate these larger reactors, the site is being profoundly transformed. The foundations of two former units, poured in the early 1990s and never completed, are being demolished. The chalk cliff is being excavated and reshaped, and the platform is being extended over the sea using the excavated material.

The preparatory works cover 155 hectares. Around 1,000 people work there every day, and the site could host up to 10,000 people at the peak of construction. For the Normandy region, it is a major driver of economic activity and jobs, for more than a decade.

The timeline

  1. 2022–2023

    Public debate (October 2022 to February 2023).

  2. 2023

    EDF files its applications for authorisation.

  3. 2024

    Decrees published and preparatory works started in July.

  4. End of 2028

    First concrete for the reactor buildings, planned once the construction licence has been granted.

  5. 2038

    Target commissioning of the first reactor.

What is at stake

  • Energy and climate: producing low-carbon, dispatchable electricity to support the electrification of uses (transport, industry, data centers).
  • Industry: remobilising the French nuclear supply chain and its skills over the long term, with a more standardised construction method.
  • Skills: engineers, technicians, welders, electricians, civil engineering and nuclear safety specialists: the EPR2 programme is one of the projects that will shape engineering needs in France over the next fifteen years.
  • Local area: hosting thousands of workers, housing, transport, local training.

Miles Group is proud to be among the players on this landmark project.

Sources

See also