ASN Report 2018

NORMANDIE REGIONAL OVERVIEWOF NUCLEAR SAFETY AND RADIATION PROTECTION The electromechanical assembly operations continued in 2018 and were marked by two major points relating to the main steam pipes: •  continuation of the examination of the deviations relative to the failure to take into account the specific requirements of the break preclusion procedure prior to themanufacture and assembly of these equipment items; •  the discovery of welding defects not detected during the end-of-manufacture inspections. These points form the subject of an in-depth examination by ASN, which is based on several inspections carried out in 2018 supporting the analysis of the root causes of the detected deviations and the verification of the implementation of appropriate corrective actions to repair the incriminated welds. In view of the significant shortcomings in EDF’s monitoring of outside contractors, ASN has asked for a quality review to be performed on the equipment of the Flamanville EPR reactor. In addition to this, the procedure proposed by EDF for dealing with the anomalies detected in the welds of the main pipes of the steam systems is currently being examined. ASN will give its opinion on the acceptability of this procedure in 2019. ASN ensures the labour inspection missions on the Flamanville 3 worksite. In 2018, ASN checked that outside contractors working on the site complied with the provisions relative to labour law. Observation of the applicable safety rules was checked regularly. ASN also responded to requests coming directly from employees, performed investigations further to workplace accidents and examined or co-examined requests for waivers to provisions of the labour regulations. Lastly, ASN conducted several oversight operations concerning the regulatory provisions governing the transnational secondment of workers. Manche waste Disposal Facility The Manche waste Disposal Facility (CSM), which entered service in 1969, was the first radioactive waste repository operated in France. 527,225 m 3 of waste packages are emplaced in it. The CSM stopped accepting waste in July 1994. In application of Decree 2016‑846 of 28 June 2016, the CSM, which is managed by Andra, is considered to be in the decommissioning phase (operations prior to its closure) until installation of the long-term cover has been finished. An ASN resolution shall specify the date of closure of the repository (entry into monitoring and surveillance phase) and the minimum duration of the CSM monitoring and surveillance phase. ASN considers that the state and the operation of the facilities are satisfactory. Andra must nevertheless continue its efforts to reinforce the stability of the cover and to eliminate the residual infiltrations of water into the repository at the edge of the membrane. More specifically, at the end of 2017, after examining the safety review guidance file, ASN formulated demands concerning the justification of the technical principles of deployment of the long-term cover and of the CSMmemory system, and the updating of the impact study. ASN considers that the organisation def ined and implemented on the site to control the operations prior to closure of the facility, and to preserve the condition of the systems, equipment and buildings, is satisfactory. The licensee must nevertheless show greater rigour in the technical oversight of the activities. National Large Heavy Ion Accelerator The Ganil (National Large Heavy Ion Accelerator) economic interest group was authorised in 1980 to create an accelerator in Caen (BNI 113). This research facility produces, accelerates and distributes ion beams with various energy levels to study the structure of the atom. The high-energy beams produce strong fields of ionising radiation, activating the materials in contact, which then emit radiation even after the beams have stopped. Irradiation is therefore themain risk presented by the Ganil. In 2017, the Ganil requested a change in the deadlines of six of the ten requirements of ASN resolution 2015-DC-0512 of 11 June 2015 relative to its first periodic safety review. Examination of this request continued in 2018. Alongside this, ASN noted that the studies and certain compliance work associated with the fire-detection and fire-fighting systems had been started. The licensee must ensure that this work is carried out in compliance with the regulations in effect. “Exotic nuclei” are nuclei which do not exist naturally on Earth. They are created artificially in the Ganil for nuclear physics experiments on the origins and structure of matter. In order to be able to produce exotic nuclei, the Ganil was authorised in 2012 to build phase 1 of the Spiral 2 project. ASN issued the partial commissioning authorisation for this project at the end of 2014. During the examination of the complete commissioning authorisation application, ASN asked the licensee for additional information, which it provided and enabled the examination to continue. The Ganil must continue its efforts in the monitoring of the compliance work and procedures relating to worker radiation protection, in the tracking of its commitments and ASN requests and requirements, and more generally in the updating of its integrated management system. The Ganil must also adapt its organisation in view of the commissioning of phase 1 of the Spiral 2 project. ASN report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2018  65