Checks carried out by French utility EDF at its Cruas nuclear power plant have revealed no anomalies so far, a company executive said on Tuesday, after it extended outages at three of the facility’s reactors until Nov. 15.

The state-controlled firm temporarily suspended power generation at the Cruas 2, 3 and 4 reactors on Monday for further safety checks after a sensor was activated following a 5.1 magnitude earthquake in southeast France.

EDF’s deputy director for nuclear production Regis Clement told journalists in a conference call that the mostly visual checks carried out so far have revealed no structural damage.

“There are no visible consequences of the earthquake on the Cruas plant,” he said, adding that further examinations are being carried out on concrete structures, beams, pipes and other systems.

He said readings from sensors that record movements at the plant around the clock will be examined, and the results transmitted to French nuclear safety agency ASN, which will decide whether and when the reactors can restart.

Source: business.financialpost.com