So just what exactly is going on with the troubled construction of the state of the art EPR reactor in Flamanville, France? Just when will the reactor be operational? There seems to be some disagreement on the matter.

The CEO of Areva, one of the partners in the project, ‘Atomic’ Anne Lauvergeon said on French radio yesterday that the reactor would not be ready in 2012 as previously stated but in 2013. France’s energy company EDF, also a project partner, later contradicted her by saying the plant would be operational in 2012 as planned.

So which is it? Who’s right and who’s wrong? Why aren’t the major partners in a project already beset with cost and schedule overruns, not to construction and safety failures, communicating properly on fundamental matters such when the thing is going to be finished? How much confusion can an operation of this complexity and expense take?

In an attempt to assuage worries, EDF say they and ‘civil engineering contractor Bouygues have taken the necessary steps to manage the "hazards of civil engineering inherent to this size of project"’. Considering Bouygues was at the centre of investigations earlier this year about substandard construction and safety violations in both the Flamanville reactor and at Finland’s Olkiluoto, this news isn’t as reassuring as EDF probably thought it would be.