The EDF group’s Research & Development (R&D) activities are handled by the Research & Development Division EDF R&D and also by certain Group subsidiaries. These activities are complementary and in line with the Group’s raison d’être and CAP 2030 strategy. A R&D Charter coordination scheme for these has been drawn up at Group level.
The EDF group’s R&D is both integrated and cross-disciplinary, in order to facilitate synergies and method transfers between the different Divisions. Skills cover all the Group’s field of activities. They are specific to particular disciplines, business lines and projects, and also come together for work on major systems.
EDF R&D has a headcount of 1,747 in France, plus 128 PhD students and 90 students in work-study programmes. It also employs 227 people representing 45 nationalities worldwide on local contracts, as well as 16 expatriates.
EDF R&D is organised on a multi-site basis, with several sites located in France and abroad, mainly in Germany, the United Kingdom, China, the United States, Singapore and Italy. EDF R&D’s main centre is located in Palaiseau on the Paris- Saclay campus.
The main missions of EDF R&D are firstly, to support the Group’s divisions and subsidiaries on a day to day basis, by providing them with its top-level expertise and high performance practices, and secondly, to contribute to building the Group’s future by anticipating the developments and major challenges with which it is confronted.
Its research focuses on four main priorities:
In 2022, the EDF group’s total R&D budget was €649 million. It comprises EDF’s R&D budget of €473 million, as well as the R&D carried out by certain wholly-owned subsidiaries, mainly Framatome, EDF Energy and Edison. This is one of the largest R&D budgets of any major electricity company. 99% of EDF R&D’s operating budget in France is dedicated to decarbonation and energy systems transition.
EDF R&D’s work serves all the Group’s business lines. It offers technological solutions designed to improve their performance, and prepare the Group’s future in the longer term. It contributes to making EDF a world leading industrial group in low-carbon electricity systems.
The research work on grids on behalf of Enedis is carried out under a services contract, which defines obligations that guarantee the protection of commercially sensitive information and compliance with the principle of the independent management of the distributor. Enedis also runs its own R&D programme, independently of EDF.
The energy crisis amid the risks of gas shortages due to the conflict in Ukraine and electricity shortages due to stress corrosion had far-reaching effects on relations with business, local authority, and domestic customers in 2022. In the spring, work began to reinforce customers’ “energy sobriety” efforts and leverage sources of flexibility to the fullest.
On the business customer market, the impetus of energy efficiency projects was maintained. Some one hundred projects were studied by R&D teams to support EDF’s Major Account Customers department. R&D’s familiarity with different sectors was also leveraged to provide sales staff with screening details enabling them to focus on the most promising sectors in terms of load shedding and deferred consumption: service sector buildings with less than 5,000m2 of space, wholesalers, logistics warehouses, etc.
On the domestic customer market, R&D was engaged to help with the “turn down, turn off, defer” campaign. The knowledge base covering specific uses of electricity was used to describe and evaluate the impact of energy-saving tips proposed to customers through the winter. A solution known as SMACH (Multi-Agent Simulator of Human Behaviour) was used to promote and validate the effect of halting the lunchtime off-peak hour signal for the 12.30pm peak.
In the field of nuclear, hydro and fossil-fired power generation, EDF R&D is developing tools and methods to:
R&D is working to protect EDF’s assets through actions in line with its policy to improve the safety of facilities, particularly with regard to enhanced performance and extended operating lifespan. R&D has launched a far-reaching programme designed to identify technology barriers to the extension of nuclear power plants’ operating lifespans beyond 60 years. The programme also seeks to provide better assessments of constraints as well as studies, analysis and experiments with the test resources available so as to characterise and extend operating lifespan whilst ensuring safety.
More broadly, the EDF group (EDF and Framatome) conducts R&D in partnership with the CEA as part of the Institut Tripartite (Tri-party institute) and is developing the Nuclear Plant of Tomorrow Initiative which is structured in technological blocks for existing plants and nuclear new build.
To support these programmes, R&D is developing digital simulation tools and experimental test resources, as well as tools that are capable of handling the fresh challenges raised by the increase in large sets of digital data, IT security, and new information and communication technologies.
Encouraged by the success of the ConnexLab experiment, which aims to test out new operating and maintenance concepts, EDF R&D launched a “Digital Reactor” project in 2020. The project is well underway and has produced significant results for the nuclear industry. It brings together 9 key partners (EDF, CEA, Framatome, SMEs, MSEs and academics) to provide engineering departments and design firms that work in the industry with a computing environment based on the best available techniques, both in terms of available computing power and in terms of state-of- the-art scientific programming.
R&D is pursuing the development of digital initiatives, while continuing to give priority to strong partnership-based relationships with the other stakeholders in the nuclear industry. It thus launched two new projects, which are supported by the France Relance plan:
In addition, EDF R&D develops high-value nuclear design calculation methods. It has joined forces with Framatome to develop the Odyssée core design calculation method. This project aims to allow for better and more efficient nuclear core calculation, benefiting both the fleet in operation and new reactors.
