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EPR
The European Generation III PWR: 1,650 MWe, four safety trains and a core catcher.
The EPR was born from the merger of the Framatome and Siemens designs in the 1990s. It is the largest PWR in operation, with 1,650 MWe gross, double containment, four independent safety trains and a core catcher that would retain the core in a meltdown. Its fuel can be 100% MOX.
Building it proved hard: Olkiluoto 3 in Finland took 18 years and started in 2023; Flamanville 3 in France connected to the grid in December 2024; Taishan 1 and 2 in China were the first to operate, in 2018 and 2019. Hinkley Point C, in the United Kingdom, has two units under construction, and France plans six simplified EPR2s.
Quick facts
| Power | 1,650 MWe gross, ≈ 1,600 net |
|---|---|
| Efficiency | ≈ 37% |
| Operating | Taishan 1-2, Olkiluoto 3, Flamanville 3 |
| Under construction | Hinkley Point C 1-2 |