Extension of the operating lifetime of 900-MWe nuclear reactors up to 40 years: ASN considers that the conclusions of the generic studies conducted by EDF are satisfactory

On 1 July 2009, the French Nuclear Safety Authority (Autorité de sûreté nucléaire – ASN), in a letter from its Chairman, Mr André-Claude Lacoste, informed Electricité de France (EDF), the French electrical utility that ASN had not identified any generic problems capable of jeopardising EDF’s capability to ensure the safety of its 900-MWe reactors up to 40 years. The letter may be consulted on ASN’s Web site: www.asn.fr.
 
ASN’s generic position will be completed subsequently by a specific decision for every reactor after its third decennial visit.
 
In accordance with Article 29 of the Law of 13 June 2006 on Nuclear Transparency and Safety, all operators are required to re-assess the safety of their facilities every 10 years. Such re-assessment shall include the following:

• a “conformity examination”, which involves an in-depth review of the state of the facility in order to verify that it complies with all applicable safety requirements, and
• a “safety re-assessment” of the facility in order to improve its safety level, notably by comparing the applicable requirements with those being enforced for more recent facilities and by taking into account national as well as international feedbacks.

Activities relating to the safety re-assessment and to the decennial visits of any reactor represent a heavy investment not only for the operator, but also for ASN and its technical supports, the Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (Institut de radioprotection et de sûreté nucléaire – IRSN) and the Advisory Expert Group on Nuclear Reactors (Groupe permanent d’experts pour les réacteurs nucléaires – GPR).
 
Lastly, ASN is also aiming at involving all stakeholders, especially Local Information Committees (Commission locale d‘information – CLI) in the process.
 
ASN considers that the extension of the operating lifetime of reactors may only be contemplated for a fleet of nuclear reactors that are well-maintained and operated responsibly by EDF in order to minimise any potential malfunctions.
 
Between decennial safety re-assessments and throughout the operating lifetime of all nuclear reactors, ASN will ensure a continuous supervision (including all ageing-related aspects) and may have, if necessary, to suspend the operation of any reactor in case of serious and imminent danger.