Abstracts ASN Report 2019

x z J0x0zÁ…«X0zÁ ÁX…z³ ڙ ³ȵƺȇɎ ȇɖƬǼƺƏȸ ǔɖƺǼ ɀɎȒȸƏǕƺ ƬƏȵƏƬǣɎɵ ASN underlines the need for France to acquire spent fuel storage capacity and the need to start preparations for these projects without delay. In 2019, it issued its opinion on the safety options of the centralised spent fuel pool presented by EDF. T he “nuclear fuel cycle” encompasses the fabrication of the nuclear fuel used in the reactors of the power plants, its storage and its reprocessing after irradiation. ASN monitors the overall consistency of the industrial choices made concerning fuel management which could have an impact on safety. 1. Article 10 de of the Order of 23 February 2017 setting out the provisions of the PNGMDR requires EDF to transmit “ a creation authorisation application for a new spent fuel storage facility, or a substantial modification application, if this is an extension of an existing facility, to the Ministry responsible for nuclear safety, before 31 December 2020 ”. This monitoring covers: Ҋ the changes or problems that could be anticipated over the next decade in the facilities and transport operations involved, on the subject of which ASN issues a statement every 10 years on “fuel cycle consistency”; Ҋ the prospects, for the coming century, in terms of the management of radioactive materials and waste, for which ASN and the DGEC periodically update the National Radioactive Materials and Waste Management Plan (PNGMDR). XƳƺȇɎǣǔǣƺƳ ȇƺƺƳɀ As early as 2010, ASN had identified the need for new spent fuel storage capacity by about 2030. Given the current volumes, this need can be primarily explained by the fact that, once used, the fuels resulting from a first reprocessing, called MOX, are not then again reprocessed. This need having been confirmed by the PNGMDR 2016-2018, the Government instructed EDF to submit applications to extend this capacity (1) , more specifically an authorisation application to be submitted by EDF at the end of 2020. ȇ 0(I ȵȸȒǴƺƬɎً Əȇ ³z ƏȇƏǼɵɀǣɀ In 2017, EDF asked ASN for its opinion on the safety options for a spent fuels centralised storage pool project. Its purpose is to store 10,000 tHM (tonnes heavy metal) in two storage ponds. In this dossier, EDF did not define a site for the location of the facility. ASN issued its opinion on this project on 23 July 2019 and considers that the general safety objectives and the design options adopted are satisfactory. Additional demonstrations will however be required, notably concerning the design and the control of manufacturing, in order to guarantee the long-term leaktightness of the pool, as well as the contingencies selected regarding external hazards, more particularly airplane crashes, once the site of the facility has been chosen. 26 ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2019