Electricite de France : EDF will not communicate Flamanville three reactor cost and timeline for now - nuclear chief

PARIS (Reuters) - French utility EDF will need several months to analyse and work out how to fix faulty weldings at its under construction Flamanville 3 nuclear reactor before communicating costs and a possible start-up date.

EDF's head of nuclear Xavier Ursat told a parliament commission hearing on Wednesday that the firm would work closely with French nuclear regulator ASN on proposed solutions.

"We will not communicate on the timing and budget of Flamanville for at least several months, the time for us to have a complete vision of the situation with ASN," Ursat said.

The state-owned power company faces new cost overruns and delays of up to three years at the reactor it is building in northern France after the regulator ordered repairs.

Ursat said the company had also applied for an extension of the decree authorising the building of the reactor because the current authorisation expires in April 2020.

(Reporting by Bate Felix and Geert De Clercq; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)