The Doel 3 nuclear reactor in East Flanders has failed since Sunday due to problems with its turbine system. The reactor was launched on July 23 only a week ago, after it was out of action for 10 months.
Nele Scheerlinck of Engie Electrabel that operates the Doel Nuclear Power Station told journalists that
“This is a technical problem in the non-nuclear part of the reactor. It only came to light once the reaction was 100% active again”.
A few days after the reactor had been started up again a fault was discovered in its turbine system. Repairs need to be carried out on a valve seal.
“Some issues only come to light once a reactor is working at full capacity again and that takes a little time”, Ms Scheerlinck explained.
She added that the fault doesn’t not raise any nuclear safety issues, but it could form a danger for staff at the power station as the issue with the seal means that hot steam is not able to pass through correctly. This is why it is important that repairs are carried out to resolve the fault. The reactor should be back in service again by on Friday afternoon.
