London (Platts)--20May2013/711 am EDT/1111 GMT

French research projects into the safety of nuclear power plants are to include studies on the impact of extreme weather conditions including heatwaves, droughts and tidal surges, government documents show.

France is to invest Eur50 million ($64.2 million) in nuclear safety projects, taking into account knowledge gained from the Fukushima disaster in 2011, caused by an earthquake and huge tsunami.

In a document published late Friday, France's energy ministry said it has selected over 20 research projects, ranging from operations management studies to disaster impact and radiation risk analyses.

Two of the accepted research projects are to analyze the risks of climate change and extreme weather occurrences.

The SEEN project aims to "estimate the current and future climate risks for nuclear power production better," including heatwaves, droughts and torrential downpours, the government said.

France's 58 nuclear power reactors, operated by state-owned EDF, rely on river or sea water for cooling purposes.

Sustained hot and dry periods can prompt reactor shutdowns as water temperatures rise, while stormy weather can also release debris into rivers, such as tree branches, which must be filtered before the water is deemed safe for use.

The TANDEM project is to study the impact on France's coastline of tidal waves, in particular the Atlantic and English Channel, where many of France's nuclear power plants are situated.

The government did not give the specific leaders of the projects, but it has previously said that the projects would be carried out by academic and state-run nuclear bodies such as IRSN, the national radiological risk body.

Following the Fukushima disaster in 2011, EDF committed to carry out extra safety work recommended by nuclear watchdog ASN, which it said would cost around Eur10 billion.

--Robin Sayles, newsdesk@platts
--Edited by Jonathan Dart, jonathan.dart@platts.com

© 2013 Platts, The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved.  To subscribe or visit go to:  http://www.platts.com

http://www.platts.com/RSSFeedDetailedNews/RSSFeed/ElectricPower/26951912