The Flamanville EPR reactor had on Monday received authorization from the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) to proceed with divergence operations - the first nuclear fission which allows electricity production to finally begin.
EDF teams carried out these first divergence operations of the reactor on Sept. 3 but on the morning of Sept. 4 the reactor automatically stopped, said an EDF spokeswoman, confirming earlier media reports.
Initial elements from the technical diagnosis suggest the incident "could be linked to an inappropriate configuration of the installation", she said, adding teams were making checks before relaunching divergence.
