goingcritical:chooz-b2France · Power reactor
Chooz B2
Status: Operating critical since March 10, 1997 Reactor status full glossary → Announced Publicly announced — a site and design are proposed, but construction has not begun. Site preparation Early site and civil works are under way; the first safety-related ("nuclear") concrete has not yet been poured. Under construction Formal construction has begun, marked by the first nuclear concrete. Fuel loaded Nuclear fuel has been loaded into the core. The reactor is fuelled but has not yet gone critical. Critical Has reached first criticality — a self-sustaining chain reaction, usually at low power — but is not yet connected to the grid. Grid connected Synchronised to the electrical grid and exporting power for the first time, but still in commissioning and power-ascension testing — not yet in commercial service. In commercial operation — the operator has formally declared the unit in regular commercial service. Shut down Permanently shut down and no longer generating; may be defuelled, undergoing decommissioning, or preserved in place. Canceled Abandoned before completion.
Site: Chooz, Ardennes
Second N4-design PWR at the Chooz site in the Ardennes, near the Belgian border. Chooz B2 first went critical on 10 March 1997. The N4 units at Chooz and Civaux were the last French-designed reactors before the EPR.
Details
| Design | 1450 MWe N4 PWR |
| Electrical output | 1,455 MWe |
Milestone history
- Announced —
- Construction start December 31, 1985
- Fuel load —
- First criticality March 10, 1997
- Grid connection April 10, 1997
- Commercial operation September 29, 2000