ASN Report 2018

OCCITANIE REGIONAL OVERVIEWOF NUCLEAR SAFETY AND RADIATION PROTECTION In the area of nuclear safety, ASN observes that the quality of operational control has deteriorated with respect to the preceding years, resulting in the reporting of numerous significant events for safety, 4 of which are rated level 1 on the INES scale. ASN notes that the staffing of the team in charge of operational control of reactor 2 was at the absolute minimum required on several occasions during the scheduled outage and that the conditions for ensuring serenity in the control room were deteriorated on both reactors. The scheduled outage of reactor 2 went well on the whole. The licensee took account of the lessons learned from the shutdowns of 2017. ASN nevertheless considers that the improvements in activity preparation must continue. Lastly, ASN considers that the Golfech licenseemust continue to improve its capacity to detect, analyse and process the deviations affecting its installations. With regard to environmental protection, ASN notes that the sitemust improve its management of hazardous substances, particularly the identification of substances and knowledge of their toxicity for the environment and for humans. ASN nevertheless underlines the site’s progress in management of the microbiological risk and of waste. With regard to occupational radiation protection, ASN notes deficiencies in the preparation and conducting of activities involving serious radiation risks. The site has persistent difficulties in meeting the dosimetric targets it sets itself. Marcoule platform The Marcoule nuclear platform is situated to the west of Orange in the Gard département . Its 6 civil installations are dedicated to research activities relating to the downstream part of the fuel cycle and the irradiation of materials, and to industrial activities concerning in particular the fabrication of MOX fuel, the processing of radioactive waste and the irradiation of materials. The majority of the site is occupied by defence nuclear installations. CEA Marcoule centre Created in 1955, the CEA Marcoule centre accommodates three civil installations: the Atalante laboratories (BNI 148), the Phénix reactor (BNI 71) and the Diadem storage facility (BNI 177). Atalante facility – CEA Centre The main purpose of the Atalante facility (BNI 148), created in the 1980s, is to conduct research and development on the recycling of nuclear fuel, the management of ultimate waste and the exploration of new concepts for fourth generation nuclear systems. Developments were made in 2017 to extend the research activities by accommodating the activities and equipment of the LEFCA (Laboratory for Research and Fabrication of Advanced nuclear Fuels), transferred from the CEA Cadarache centre. In December 2016, the CEA submitted the facility’s periodic safety review report to ASN. In 2018, ASN asked the CEA for additional information concerning in particular the protection of the facility against external hazards (lightning and flooding), control of the risk of loss of electrical power, and the methodology for radiological and chemical characterisation of the soils. The CEA provided additional information in 2018 and this is currently being examined. ASN considers that the level of safety of Atalante is on the whole satisfactory. Shortcomings have nevertheless been noted in the provisions for monitoring outside contractors, particularly those performing periodic checks and tests on the facility. ASN moreover carried out a reactive inspection following an incident that occurred on 19 December 2018 involving the shattering of a bottle containing a radioactive liquid while being handled in a glove box, resulting in the injury of the worker performing the operation. Phénix reactor – CEA Centre The Phénix reactor is a demonstration fast breeder reactor cooled with liquid sodium. This reactor, with an electrical power rating of 250 MWe, was definitively shut down in 2009 and is currently being decommissioned. The broad phases of its decommissioning are governed by Decree 2016‑739 of 2 June 2016. ASN resolution 2016-DC-0564 of 7 July 2016 prescribes various decommissioningmilestones and operations for the CEA. The licensee is currently conducting actions tomeet the ASN requirements and to fulfil the commitments it made further to the periodic safety review. ASN considers that the level of nuclear safety and radiation protection of the Phénix reactor is on the whole satisfactory. Removal of irradiated fuels and the first decommissioning activities (removal of equipment, etc.) continued in 2018 under suitably safe conditions, but at a slower rate than planned as far as fuel removal is concerned. The Labour inspection in the Golfech nuclear power plant With regard to labour inspection, the inspectors noted in 2018 that the inspection perimeter and the follow-up of the observations made by an accredited organisation during regulatory checks concerning the handling cranes in particular needed to be improved. A tightened inspection highlighted a lack of command of the European regulations relative to the chemical risk. ASN will assess the measures taken by the licensee during 2019. 76  ASN report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2018