(task) Flamanville reactor blast: No nuclear risk, say officials - BBC News

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> http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38918010 <http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38918010>
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> Flamanville reactor blast: No nuclear risk, say officials
> AFP
> The two reactors at Flamanville will eventually be joined by a third
> An explosion and fire have occurred at the Flamanville nuclear plant on France's northern coast but there was no nuclear risk, officials say.
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> "It is a significant technical event but it is not a nuclear accident," senior local official Olivier Marmion told AFP news agency.
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> Five people reported feeling unwell but none were seriously injured.
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> Flamanville has two nuclear reactors. A third one under construction is the model for a new reactor in the UK.
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> The cause of the blast was not immediately known.
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> One of the older reactors was shut down after the blast which, according to Ouest-France newspaper, happened in a machine room at about 10:00 (09:00 GMT).
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> The incident was declared over at 11:00.
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> Britain's proposed new plant, Hinkley Point C, is set to begin generating electricity in 2025.
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> Thursday's explosion was reported by the prefecture in the Manche region, close to the Channel Islands.
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> In 2015, a weakness, believed to be a construction fault, was discovered in the steel housing the reactor core at the reactor under construction in Flamanville.
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> Flaw found in French nuclear reactor </news/science-environment-33469774>
> What is Hinkley Point and why is it important? </news/business-36897180>
> The EPR water pressurised reactor being built at Flamanville, a third-generation design, is years behind schedule.
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> Anti-nuclear activists have protested over the project, with at least 2,700 people turning out to demonstrate in October.