ASN Report 2018

AUVERGNE-RHÔNE-ALPES REGIONAL OVERVIEWOF NUCLEAR SAFETY AND RADIATION PROTECTION ASN considers that the environmental protection performance of the Tricastin NPP is mixed, despite being in line with the general assessment of the EDF plants. ASN notes persistent weaknesses in the radioactive effluent treatment systems and the question of liquid effluent containment. Waste management, can also be improved. With regard to radiation protection, at the end of a tightened inspection ASN noted shortcomings in the management of contaminated workers, particularly when skin contaminations were concerned. ASN noted above all that this issue is not adequately followed-up in the NPP’s integrated management system. In June 2019, the Tricastin NPP reactor 1 will be the first in the French fleet of 900 MWe reactors operated by EDF to undergo its fourth 10-yearly outage, which is a stage of the 4th periodic safety review. ASN will be particularly attentive to this 10-yearly outage and will deploy a specific oversight plan. Nuclear fuel cycle installations  The Tricastin fuel cycle installations mainly cover the upstream activities of the fuel cycle and, as of the end of 2018, they are operated by a single licensee, Orano Cycle. The site comprises: •  the TU5 facility (BNI 155) for converting uranyl nitrate UO 2 (NO 3 ) 2 resulting from the reprocessing of spent fuels into triuranium octoxide (U3O8); •  the W plant (ICPE within the perimeter of the BNI) for converting depleted UF 6 into U3O8; •  the former Comurhex facility (BNI 105) for converting uranium tetrafluoride (UF 4 ) into uraniumhexafluoride (UF 6 ); •  the Georges Besse I plant (BNI 93) for the enrichment of UF 6 by gaseous diffusion; •  the Georges Besse II plant (BNI 168) for centrifuge enrichment of UF 6  ; •  the uranium storage areas at Tricastin (BNIs 178 and 179) for storing uranium in the form of oxides or UF 6 ; •  the maintenance , effluent treatment and waste packaging facilities (formerly Socatri) (BNI 138); •  the Atlas process samples analysis and environmental monitoring laboratory (BNI 176); •  a Defence BNI (DBNI) which more particularly operates the nuclear materials storage areas, virtually all of which are for civil uses. In the light of its on-site inspections carried out in 2018, ASN considers that the level of safety of the Orano Cycle facilities on the Tricastin site has improved, particularly thanks to the gradual shutdown of the oldest facilities, the commissioning of facilities with reassessed safety standards and the completion of the works stemming from the lessons learned from the Fukushima NPP accident. The in-depth inspection conducted by ASN on the site in 2018, comprising in particular several exercises and in-situation scenarios, revealed the emergency management organisation andmeans – which are shared – to be adequate for emergency situation management, whatever the accident-stricken facility. ASN moreover considers that the presence of a local emergency response force, its organisation, the means at its disposal and the quality of its action constitute an asset in the emergency organisation of the Orano Cycle platformat Tricastin, given the chemical and nuclear accident risks involved in the operation of its facilities. In the light of the other inspections carried out in 2018 on the platform and at site central management, ASN considers that Orano Cycle must improve the follow-up of its commitments made with ASN and monitor its service providers more closely. The radioactive substance transport operations, which are now organised centrally, are managed satisfactorily. Orano Cycle uranium chemistry plants TU5 and W BNI 155, called TU5, can handle up to 2,000 tonnes of uranium per year, which enables all the uranyl nitrate (UO 2 (NO 3 ) 2 ) from the Orano Cycle plant in La Hague to be processed for conversion into U3O8 (a stable solid compound that can guarantee storage of the uranium under safer conditions than in liquid or gaseous form). Once converted, the uranium from reprocessing is placed in storage on the Tricastin site. The W plant situated within the perimeter of BNI 155 can process the depleted UF 6 from the Georges Besse 2 plant, to stabilise it as U3O8. ASN considers that the facilities situated within the perimeter of BNI 155 are operated with a satisfactory level of safety. For the TU5 plant, 2018 saw the implementation of the commitments made further to the periodic safety review of the facility. The progress with these commitments and the organization put in place to track them regularly have been verified by ASN and found to be satisfactory. After completing its tests, the new UF 6 emission unit (EM3) of the W plant was commissioned in mid-2018 and is now in the reliability-enhancement phase. This new unit provides better containment in the event of UF 6 leakage and better resistance to internal hazards (fire, explosion, etc.) and external hazards (earthquake). The old unit was shut down within the deadlines set by ASN (30 June 2018). The ASN resolution setting the requirements applicable to the W plant was modified in May 2018 to regulate operation of the EM3 unit. More generally, the licensee must continue to improve operating rigour and more specifically the detection and management of deviations. ASN remains attentive to the maintaining of the required rigour in operating and maintenance actions, the management of detected anomalies and the effectiveness of the corrective actions put in place. ASN report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2018  31