ASTRID (reactor)

Coordinates: 44°08′34″N 4°42′32″E / 44.14278°N 4.70889°E / 44.14278; 4.70889
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
ASTRID
CEA
Nuclear power station
Reactor typeSodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR)
Power generation
Units planned1 x 600 
MW
Nameplate capacity
  • 600 MW
]

ASTRID (Advanced Sodium Technological Reactor for Industrial Demonstration) was a proposal for a 600 MW sodium-cooled

Commissariat à l'énergie atomique (CEA). It was to be built on the Marcoule Nuclear Site in France. It was the successor of the three French fast reactors Rapsodie, Phénix and Superphénix
.

The main goals of ASTRID were the multi-recycling of

nuclear waste, and an enhanced safety comparable to Generation III reactors, such as the EPR. It was envisaged as a 600 MW industrial prototype connected to the grid. A commercial series of 1500 MW SFR reactors was planned to be deployed around 2050.[1]

As of 2012, the project involved 500 people, with almost half among industrial partners. Those included

Jacobs France, Toshiba and Bouygues Construction.[2]

In 2014 Japan agreed to cooperate in developing the emergency reactor cooling system, and in a few other areas.[3][4] As of 2016, France was seeking the full involvement of Japan in ASTRID development.[4][5] In November 2018 France informed Japan it will halt joint development.[6][7]

In August 2019 France cancelled ASTRID and sodium-breeder in general, with an official statement that “In the current energy market situation, the perspective of industrial development of fourth-generation reactors is not planned before the second half of this century. About €735 million had been spent on the project.[8][9][10]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Fast Neutron Reactors". World Nuclear Association. 5 November 2016.
  2. ^ "Le CEA et Bouygues Construction signent un accord de collaboration pour la conception d'ASTRID, prototype de réacteur nucléaire de 4ème génération". CEA. 26 June 2012. Archived from the original on 2014-11-02. Retrieved 2014-11-02.
  3. ^ Tara Patel, Gregory Viscusi (5 May 2014). "Japan to Work With France on Future Fast-Breeder Atomic". Bloomberg. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  4. ^ a b "France wants Japan to share 570 billion yen ASTRID reactor development cost". The Mainichi. 22 October 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  5. Asahi Shimbun
    . 22 September 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  6. ^ Tsuji, Takashi (30 November 2018). "France halts joint nuclear project in blow to Japan's fuel cycle". Nikkei Asian Review. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  7. ^ "France reconsiders Astrid fast reactor project". Nuclear Engineering International. 30 November 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  8. ^ "France cancels ASTRID fast reactor project". Nuclear Engineering International. 2 September 2019. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  9. ^ Geert De Clercq (30 August 2019). "France drops plans to build sodium-cooled nuclear reactor". Reuters. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  10. ^ "Nuclear: France abandons the ASTRID project costing 730 million euros". MBS News. 31 August 2019. Retrieved 2019-09-09.

External links