wakey wakey
There is a severe shortage of nuclear workers, particularly welders, in France currently. This shortage is impacting the ability to maintain and repair France's aging nuclear power plants, leading to an unprecedented number of reactors being offline. The key points regarding this shortage are:
- France has had to take a record number of its 56 nuclear reactors offline this year for maintenance due to issues like stress corrosion on pipes.[1]
- There is a lack of specialized workers like welders and pipe-fitters in sufficient numbers to make repairs and get reactors back online quickly.[1][2]
- Years of underinvestment in the nuclear sector mean there is little spare capacity while reactors undergo maintenance.[1]
- France faces a shortage of around 7,000 welders, with 1,000 specifically needed for the nuclear industry.[5]
- Fewer young people have pursued nuclear careers in recent decades as interest in the field waned, leading to an aging workforce without enough new workers to replace retirees.[4][5]
- Existing training programs are often not adapted to the rigorous requirements of nuclear welding, creating a skills mismatch.[5]
To address the shortage, EDF has brought in hundreds of welders from the U.S. and Canada, recalled retired engineers to transfer knowledge, and new specialized nuclear welding schools have been established.[5] However, long-term solutions like reviving interest in nuclear careers among youth are still needed.[4][5]
Citations:
[1] https://www.reuters.com/business/en...d-france-faces-power-outage-risks-2022-12-09/
[2] https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/15/business/nuclear-power-france.html
[3] https://www.catf.us/2023/07/2022-french-nuclear-outages-lessons-nuclear-energy-europe/
[4] https://www.euronuclear.org/news/th...d-needs-for-the-international-nuclear-sector/
[5] https://merca.team/en/la-crise-du-soudeur-nucleaire-en-2024/
