Abstracts ASN Report 2019

׭٫ ڲ Assessment of the licensees’ decommissioning strategies Given that numerous facilities have been shut down for several decades, with partial loss of knowledge of their operating histories, ageing structures and in some cases large quantities of waste still present, the advancement of decommissioning projects is one of the major issues for the safety of shut down facilities. Yet ASN has noted that the majority of the decommissioning projects are falling significantly behind schedule. ASN therefore Ĵņľņ ŇĻĸ ŅĸŁĶĻ ĿŇĸŅŁĴŇļʼnĸ ŁĸŅĺļĸņ ĴŁķ ŇłŀļĶ ŁĸŅĺŌ łŀŀļņņļłŁ Ҏ ҏё ĴŁķ ŅĴŁł Ňł ŃĸŅļłķļĶĴĿĿŌ ŃŅĸņĸŁŇ ŇĻĸļŅ decommissioning and radioactive waste management strategies, thereby providing an integrated view of the decommissioning projects and the disposal routes that are available or to be created for the waste resulting from the decommissioning operations. As far as decommissioning is concerned, the licensees must justify the priority operations, principally through safety analyses. This prioritisation provides a means of checking that even if some projects are substantially behind schedule, the most significant resources will be devoted to operations with higher risk implications. With regard to radioactive waste management, ASN checks the consistency with the regulatory framework and the guidelines łĹ ŇĻĸ ŅĸŁĶĻ ĴŇļłŁĴĿ ĴķļłĴĶŇļʼnĸ ĴŇĸŅļĴĿņ ĴŁķ ĴņŇĸ Management Plan (PNGMDR). ASN examines with particular attention the defences against unforeseen events on a waste management facility and the plausibility of the timeframes announced by the licensees. It ensures that the licensees look ahead to the safety studies of packages and the feasibility of the packaging processes. ASN also checks the availability of the envisaged waste management routes and the support means (transport packages, treatment and storage facilities, etc.) which in practice govern the sustainability of the decommissioning strategy. Ł ӅӃӄӌё ļņņňĸķ Ĵ ŃłņļŇļłŁ ņŇĴŇĸŀĸŁŇ łŁ ѡņ ķĸĶłŀŀļņņļłŁі ing and waste management strategies files and opened a consultation on its resolution regarding the file justifying the ĶĻĴŁĺĸ ļŁ ķĸĶłŀŀļņņļłŁļŁĺ ņŇŅĴŇĸĺŌ ĹłŅ ŇĻĸ ņє ŇׇŊļĿĿ issue a position statement on the Orano file in 2020. The context and the preliminary conclusions of these examinations are detailed below. ג ِ׏ ɀɀƺɀɀȅƺȇɎ Ȓǔ 0(I ټ ɀ ƳƺƬȒȅȅǣɀɀǣȒȇǣȇǕ ɀɎȸƏɎƺǕɵ Ļĸ ĹļŅņŇ ķĸĶłŀŀļņņļłŁļŁĺ ņŇŅĴŇĸĺŌ ĹļĿĸ ĹłŅ ŇĻĸ ŅĸĴĶŇłŅņ ķĸĹļŁļŇļʼnĸĿŌ ņĻňŇ ķłŊŁ Ҏ ĻļŁłŁ ӄё Ӆё ӆё ĴļŁŇі ĴňŅĸŁŇ ӄׇĴŁķ Ӆё ňĺĸŌ ӄё Ӈі ё Ļłłō ĴŁķ ňŃĸŅŃĻųŁļŋҏ ŊĴņ ŇŅĴŁņŀļŇŇĸķ ļŁ ӅӃӃӄׇĴŇ ŇĻĸ ŅĸńňĸņŇ łĹ є ŀŀĸķļĴŇĸ ķļņŀĴŁŇĿļŁĺ ŊĴņ ĴķłŃŇĸķ as the reference strategy. This strategy has been updated regularly, in order, for example, to adjust the decommissioning schedule or incorporate the complementary studies requested by ASN and elements concerning the future decommissioning of the reactor fleet in service. łŅ ŇĻĸ ņļŋ ĹļŅņŇіĺĸŁĸŅĴŇļłŁ ņ Ҏ ĻļŁłŁׇ ӄі Ӆ ĴŁķ ӆё ĴļŁŇі ĴňŅĸŁŇ ӄׇĴŁķ ӅׇĴŁķ ňĺĸŌ ӄҏё ļŁĹłŅŀĸķ ļŁ ĴŅĶĻ ӅӃӄӉׇłĹ Ĵ ĶłŀŃĿĸŇĸ ĶĻĴŁĺĸ ļŁ ņŇŅĴŇĸĺŌ ĶĴĿĿļŁĺ ļŁŇł ńňĸņŇļłŁ the technique used for decommissioning of these reactors and the rate of decommissioning. The switch from dismantling of the reactor vessel “in air” instead of “under water” as initially planned, the change in the envisaged decommissioning durations and the change in the first gas-cooled reactor to be decommissioned Ҏ ĻļŁłŁ ӅׇļŁņŇĸĴķ łĹ ňĺĸŌ ӄҏё ļņ ĿĸĴķļŁĺ Ňł Ĵ ķĸĿĴŌ łĹ ņĸʼnĸŅĴĿ decades in the decommissioning of all the GCRs. This new strategy includes the deployment of an industrial demonstrator ŇłׇńňĴĿļĹŌ ŇĻĸ ĹĸĴņļĵļĿļŇŌ łĹ ŇĻĸ łŃĸŅĴŇļłŁņ ķňŅļŁĺ ķļņŀĴŁŇĿļŁĺ of the reactor vessels “in air”. Once this qualification has been łĵŇĴļŁĸķ ҎŊļŇĻļŁ ĴĵłňŇ ŇĸŁ ŌĸĴŅņҏё ŃŅłŃłņĸņ ĶłŀŃĿĸŇĸ dismantling of a first reactor vessel (Chinon A2), building on the lessons learned from this first dismantling and then, between ӅӃӉӃׇĴŁķ ӅӃӊӃё ĵĸĺļŁŁļŁĺ ŇĻĸ ķļņŀĴŁŇĿļŁĺ łĹ ŇĻĸ łŇĻĸŅ Ĺļʼnĸ ŅĸĴĶŇłŅ vessels. ASN has drawn up draft resolutions and submitted them to a public consultation. In this draft resolution, ASN ĶłŁņļķĸŅņ ŇĻĴŇ ѡņ ķĸʼnĸĿłŃŀĸŁŇ łĹ ĴŁ ļŁķňņŇŅļĴĿ ķĸŀłŁņŇŅĴŇłŅ prior to dismantling of the reactor vessels is justified and that ļŇ ļņ ĴĶĶĸŃŇĴĵĿĸ ĹłŅ Ňł ĺŅĴķňĴĿĿŌ ĿĸĴŅŁ ŇĻĸ ĿĸņņłŁņ ĹŅłŀ experience feedback over a reasonable period of time. However, the timeframes for each of the phases will need to be periodically reviewed and could be adjusted if, in the coming decades, scenario optimisations prove to be possible. łŅ ŇĻĸ łŇĻĸŅ ĹĴĶļĿļŇļĸņ ņĻňŇ ķłŊŁ ҎŁłŇĴĵĿŌ Ļłłō ё ŇĻĸ Chinon AMI, EL4-D, Superphénix) decommissioning is under way and the need for dismantling as rapidly as possible is being complied with on the whole. ג ِ א ɀɀƺɀɀȅƺȇɎ Ȓǔ…ȸƏȇȒ ټ ɀ ƳƺƬȒȅȅǣɀɀǣȒȇǣȇǕ ɀɎȸƏɎƺǕɵ Decommissioning the old installations is a major challenge for Orano, which has to manage several large-scale decommissioning ŃŅłĽĸĶŇņ ļŁ ŇĻĸ ņĻłŅŇё ŀĸķļňŀ ĴŁķ ĿłŁĺ ŇĸŅŀ Ҏ ӅіӇӃӃׇĹĴĶļĿļŇŌ ĴŇ Ĵׇ Ĵĺňĸё ňŅłķļĹ ŅłķňĶŇļłŁ ŃĿĴŁŇё ļŁķļʼnļķňĴĿ ĹĴĶļĿļŇļĸņ łĹ ŇĻĸ ׇĴŇ ļĸŅŅĸĿĴŇŇĸё ĸŇĶєҏє ŀŃĿĸŀĸŁŇĴŇļłŁ łĹ ķĸĶłŀŀļņņļłŁļŁĺ ļņ closely linked to the radioactive waste management strategy, given the quantity and the non-standard and hard to characterise nature of the waste produced during the prior operations phase and the new waste resulting from the decommissioning operations. ňŅŇĻĸŅŀłŅĸё ŅĴŁł ŀňņŇ ĶĴŅŅŌ łňŇ ņŃĸĶļĴĿ ĿĸĺĴĶŌ ĴņŇĸ ĸŇŅļĸʼnĴĿ and Packaging (WRP) operations in old waste storage facilities. The deadlines for completion have been stipulated by ASN, ŃĴŅŇļĶňĿĴŅĿŌ ĹłŅ ŇĻĸ Ĵׇ Ĵĺňĸ ņļŇĸє ňŅŇĻĸŅŀłŅĸё ĶłŀŃĿĸŇļłŁ łĹ these WRP operations governs the progress of decommissioning łŁ ŇĻĸ ӅіӇӃӃׇŃĿĴŁŇё Ĵņ ļņ łŁĸ łĹ ŇĻĸ ĹļŅņŇ ņŇĸŃņ łĹ ļŇņ decommissioning. The WRP work is of particular importance given the inventory of radioactive substances present and the age of the facilities in which they are stored, which do not meet current safety standards. WRP projects are becoming increasingly complex owing to the interactions with the plants in operation and the site. In June 2016, at the request of ASN and ASND, Orano submitted its decommissioning and waste management strategy. The file ĴĿņł ļŁĶĿňķĸņ ŇĻĸ ĴŃŃĿļĶĴŇļłŁ łĹ ŇĻļņ ņŇŅĴŇĸĺŌ łŁ ŇĻĸ Ĵׇ Ĵĺňĸ and Tricastin sites. The Tricastin site accommodates one DBNI, hence the joint oversight of Orano by ASN and ASND. ASN considers that Orano must increase its ability to prioritise the operations according to the risks inherent in the facilities to be decommissioned and comply with the stipulated deadlines. Orano’s human and technical resources must also be increased in order to meet the deadlines for these planned projects. ASN and ASND have mobilised substantial expertise to examine this file and will adopt a position on the strategy in 2020. ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2019 341 ׏ ٲ ב DECOMMISSIONING OF BASIC NUCLEAR INSTALLATIONS 13