Credit: EDF
The EDF-CNPE Cattenom nuclear power station across the border from Luxembourg confirmed that, as part of its maintenance programme, Production Unit 1 of the Cattenom nuclear power plant was shut down during the night of 14-15 March 2025, marking the beginning of the 2025 industrial outage campaign.
According to an official statement, this scheduled outage, called a "partial inspection," allows for the renewal of part of the fuel and the performance of numerous inspection and maintenance operations.
More than 12,000 activities are planned during this outage, and 34 modifications to the facility are to be carried out, to further strengthen the reactor's safety level. In addition to the standard maintenance and inspection programme of a partial inspection, major maintenance work are to be carried out, such as the replacement of 21 nuclear power control rod assembly control mechanisms, the complete inspection of a low-pressure section of the turbo-generator unit, and the replacement of the hydraulic section of a motor pump in the reactor's primary circuit.
According to the statement, this outage will also allow EDF teams and partner companies to anticipate work related to the fourth safety review of the reactor, scheduled for 2027.
Production units 2, 3, and 4 are in operation and supply power to the national electricity grid.
