Prosecutors probe fraud claims at one of France's oldest nuclear plants

French prosecutors are investigating allegations that officials at a nuclear power station covered up incidents of malfunction at the ageing Tricastin plant in the country's south-east.

The Tricastin nuclear power plant in the Drôme, south-eastern France. Getty Images/Gallo Images/Travel Ink

The prosecutors are responding to a complaint filed at the end of 2021 against nuclear operator EDF by a whistleblower engineer who said he had repeatedly alerted the company to several instances, including an unexplained power surge at one of the reactors in 2017 and flooding inside the station the following year.

The whilsteblower, who has not been identified and has been nicknamed “Hugo”, said EDF had failed to declare the incidents to the national nuclear safety agency.

An investigating magistrate in the southern port city of Marseille is now probing the power station for fraud and "endangering the lives of others".

The engineer, who has worked for EDF since 2004, became a manager in 2016 and, according to the complaint, he saw management becoming “particularly tense" in the face of the 10-year inspection, which would determine whether the plant could continue to operate beyond its 40-year limit.

Extended lifespan

Built in 1981, Tricastin is one of France's oldest nuclear stations and is on a list of installations that the ASN agency said last year could be renovated to extend their lifespan for another decade.

The prosecutor is also looking into other suspected violations, including damage to the environment through the leaking of toxic substances, obstruction of inspections, and workplace harassment of the engineer, who says he was sidelined after sounding the alarm.

The investigation comes as EDF is facing serious problems in its nuclear installations.

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The French state owns more than 80 percent of EDF, which operates 56 reactors across the country, and produces about 70 percent of the country’s electricity.

The company has been forced to check many of its nuclear installations after discovering corrosion on high-pressure pipes, which has prompted outages and repairs that the company says will cost it 4.5 billion euros, more than earlier estimated.

Currently operations at 12 of France's 56 nuclear reactors are shut down because of corrosion issues, EDF said last month.

In February, President Emmanuel Macron called for a "rebirth" of the nuclear industry in France, announcing that 14 new plants would be built as part of efforts to move away from fossil fuels.

(with wires)