ASN Report 2018

NORMANDIE REGIONAL OVERVIEWOF NUCLEAR SAFETY AND RADIATION PROTECTION of operational management of incidents or accidents must also be improved. With regard to the refuelling outages of the two reactors, which weremarked by technical contingencies necessitating prolonged repairs, ASN considers that the Penly NPP must improve work preparation and the verification and monitoring of maintenance activities. In the area of radiation protection, ASN considers that continued improvement of the organisation in place is necessary. The way radiation exposure risks are taken into consideration is found to be highly variable, and ASN still detects numerous deviations during its worksite inspections. The licensee must also continue its ongoing efforts to improve the knowledge and radiological risk awareness of outside contractor personnel. With regard to environmental protection, ASN considers that the organisation in place for the management of discharges and waste is satisfactory; the licenseemade significant waste removal efforts in 2018. ASN also notes an increase in the number of failures of measuring equipment involved in monitoring discharges and the environment. Flamanville 3 EPR reactor construction worksite Following issuing of the creation authorisation Decree 2007- 534 of 10 April 2007 and of the building permit, construction work on the Flamanville 3 reactor began in September 2007. The electromechanical installation activities continued in 2018 with, among other things, the hydrostatic test of the nuclear steam supply system main primary system, continuation of assembly of themain secondary and auxiliary systems, modifications to the instrumentation and control of the installation and cable-pulling and electrical connection operations. Important starting test phases were carried out, including in particular the cold tests, the functional tests with reactor vessel open and the continuation of the hot test preliminary tests. ASN conducted a specific inspection of these operations and also checked the measures taken with regard to protection of the environment and preparation for reactor operation. ASN considers that the organisation put in place for the start-up tests was on the whole satisfactory in 2018. Nevertheless, despite the improvements in EDF’s organisation for the start-up tests, continued significant efforts must be made to achieve the prerequisite defined for the performance of the start-up tests and the associated supporting documents to prove the representativeness of these tests. ASN will continue its oversight action on these themes in 2019, particularly in the preparation for operation, the start-up tests and bringing the main secondary systems into compliance. ASN inspected EDF’s organisation for protection of the environment on the worksite, notably the management of the buried waste discovered on the site in 2017 and the integration of the new requirements associated with application of ASN resolutions 2018-DC-0639 and 2018- DC-0640 of 19 July 2018. ASN noted numerous events concerning the environment during 2018, demonstrating insufficient consideration of the risks for the environment when performing the start-up tests. ASN continues its inspection of the organisation implemented by the teams responsible for future operation of the Flamanville 3 reactor, particularly concerning the preparation for operational control of the installation, control of the fire risk and protection of the environment. ASN considers that substantial work remains to be accomplished in this respect. In view of EDF’s current schedule, ASN should conduct an in-depth inspection of this organisation in 2019. Labour inspection in the nuclear power plants of the Normandie region ASN conducted oversight actions concerning the conditions of health and safety during maintenance and construction operations and the management of subcontracting in the nuclear power plants. ASN more specifically examined the conditions of occurrence of several workplace accidents, including one electric shock incident and the several-day isolation of a person who suffered a serious malaise. Inspections were carried out on several NPPs to check the compliance work on fuel handling machines in the reactor buildings and the taking into account of the explosion risk. ASN inspection at the Penly NPP on the earthquake theme – May 2017 64  ASN report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2018