The only country in the world that extracts more than three quarters of all the electric power consumed from nuclear reactors, France has pressed the panic button due to host of safety concerns regarding its nuclear reactors and the fact that, many parts of France might be affected by severe power cuts. As of now, France is the only country that relies heavily on nuclear power for its power needs and at the same time, French nuclear technology is one of the most sought after in the world.

However, the recent export contracts for its European Pressurized Reactor (EPR) model to countries such as Britain, India, Abu Dhabi and the United States are seem to be in jeopardy as nuclear safety regulators from France, Finland and Britain have asked Areva, the nuclear design firm that has designed and developed the EPR to review and make necessary changes to the plants’ safety and control systems that are going to be constructed in other countries. Meanwhile, Areva and another French energy firm, EDF have assured their potential customers that, the designs and the security systems are flawless in the EPR, citing the example of the one being constructed in Normandy. Furthermore, representatives from both companies have stated that the delivery and construction of the European Pressurized Reactor will not be delayed to the concern raised by the regulators.

To add to an already bad situation, many parts of France are expected to suffer from power outages as the winter approaches. This is due to the labor strikes that have plagued the French nuclear industry and left many of its older off line. According to the European nuclear safety regulators,

“Independence is important because, if a safety system provides protection against the failure of a control system, then they should not fail together.”

Via Space War.