Netherlands reactor restart fixed for the second half of August

The repairs to the High Flux Reactor in Petten, the Netherlands, are proceeding and the date of the restart remains fixed for the second half of August, said the Nuclear Research and Consultancy Group (NRG) of the Netherlands.

The removal of concrete by core drilling was completed on April 23 and the drilling rigs have been removed from the sub-pile room.

The manual removal of the concrete between the drill holes started on April 26. A snapped water tube, part of the cooling system caused flooding in the reactor basement on May 2, resulting in a temporary suspension of the repair and the repair was continued on May 4, the group said.

After the concrete removal, the repair project now proceeds to the welding phase. There have been no safety incidents during the period and the radiation dose levels for internal and external employees have remained well below the planned limits, NRG reported.