ASN Report 2018

specifically stipulate the deployment of a “hardened safety core” of material and organisational provisions designed to prevent a severe accident or limit its spread, mitigate large-scale releases and enable the licensee to fulfil its emergency management duties. Generally speaking, Orano Cycle and Framatome designed and implemented new means to deal with extreme situations in their facilities in a very short period of time. ASN authorised the licensees of the Romans-sur-Isère and Tricastin sites to update the On-site Emergency Plans for the BNIs, in 2016 and 2017 respectively, so that the specific hardened safety core provisions for emergency management could be incorporated into them. More specifically, the Local Emergency Command Posts (PCD-L) on these sites were relocated to new emergency management buildings designed to withstand extreme hazards. These buildings more specifically contain a ventilation system with filtration enabling the personnel present to be protected against a toxic release from the site’s facilities, neighbouring facilities or, on the Tricastin site, a radioactive release from the neighbouring NPP. With regard to the La Hague site, Orano Cycle completed replacement of the Moulinets dam valves at the end of 2018 so ensure that this structure was robust enough to provide large- scale water reserves in an extreme situation. Orano Cycle is also completing installation of fixed water recirculation pumps under each storage pool so that water can be recycled and a minimum level of water maintained above the fuel assemblies in the event of a leak. These works are scheduled for completion in April 2019. In August 2018, ASN authorised Orano Cycle to take new organisational measures to remedy the consequences of extreme hazards on its La Hague site. The site’s new PCD-L emergency command post building, which is designed to withstand these hazards, is today operational. On the Marcoule site, Orano Cycle has begun the construction of its new emergency building, designed to withstand extreme hazards, and it should be completed in 2019. ASN considers that the progress of the post-Fukushima work is on the whole satisfactory at Orano Cycle and Framatome. 2.3  ̶  Periodic safety reviews of fuel cycle facilities Since the publication of the Decree of 2 November 2007, all the BNI licensees must carry out periodic safety reviews of their facilities at least every ten years. These exercises were carried out gradually on the fuel cycle facilities. The first one concerns BNIs 151 (Melox) and 138 (Socatri) and identified numerous points on which these facilities could be reinforced. Most of this work has today been completed. The examination of the periodic safety reviews confirmed that the subjects to be examined by the licensee during the periodic safety reviews, along with the required methodologies, should be defined during what is referred to as the orientation phase. These reviews show the importance of an in situ verification of the conformity of the Elements Important for Protection (EIP) that is as exhaustive as possible, or as representative as possible of the EIP that are not accessible. They also illustrate the need for a robust approach to the control of the ageing of fuel cycle facilities. It may be complex to develop these approaches because most of the fuel cycle facilities are unique. Orano Cycle has defined an approach for selecting the equipment to be monitored that is in principle acceptable. However, ASN’s 2018 inspection of its implementation shows that this approach is in fact inadequately deployed by Orano Cycle. In the context of the faster than anticipated corrosion of the fission products evaporators-concentrators and other equipment in the La Hague plant, the control of ageing is a priority issue for ASN with regard to the back-end cycle facilities, which will be the subject of dedicated inspections and increased vigilance in the examination of the ongoing periodic safety reviews. Areva Engineering Mines Mines Orano Cycle, ex-Areva NC Chemistryand enrichment Chemistryand enrichment Fuel fabrication Reprocessing and fabrication ofMOX Installedbase and I&C; Manufacture of large components Decommissioning andservices Transportand logistics Nuclear measurements (Canberra) Fuelcycle engineering Technicatome Large projects Installedbase Fuel fabrication Reprocessing and fabrication ofMOX Manufacture of large components Decommissioning andservices I&C Transportand logistics Largeprojects (except Olkiluoto3 EPR) International operations Technicaland engineering Mines in front-end cycle Orano Framatome Reactors and services Engineering and projects Back-end fuel cycle Excluding ENR and Areva Med Excluding support functions Technicatome Schematic diagram of the reorganisation of Areva in 2018 324  ASN report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2018 11 – NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE INSTALLATIONS