Abstracts ASN Report 2019

ƫɵ ³z ǣȇ א ׎׏ ז ً Ɏǝƺ ɵƺƏȸ א ׎׏ ژח ɯƏɀ ȅƏȸǸƺƳ ƫɵ Ɏǝƺ ȸƺȅȒɮƏǼ Ȓǔ potentially pathogenic waste to a treatment facility without prior verification. During its inspections, ASN found that the waste areas concerned were not operated in accordance with the rules in force and asked EDF to stop using them until they were made compliant. With regard to environmental protection, the monitoring and treatment of the water table pollution by tritium and hydrocarbons, which occurred in summer 2018, continued in 2019. The inspections conducted by the ASN labour inspectors in א ׎׏ ژח ƬȒȇǔǣȸȅƺƳ Ɏǝƺ ɯȒȸǸ ƳȒȇƺ ƫɵ Ɏǝƺ ǼǣƬƺȇɀƺƺ ǣȇ Ɏǝƺ ȵȸƺɮƺȇɎǣȒȇ of vital risks, the development of new protected processes for the workers and the general upkeep of worksites. The accidents or near-accidents that occurred were the subject of analyses and quality action plans, and the efforts made must be maintained, particularly for the organisational application of accident prevention in the field. TRICASTIN SITE The Tricastin nuclear site, situated in the Drôme and Vaucluse départements , is a vast industrial site accommo- dating the largest concentration of nuclear and chemical facilities in France. It is situated on the right bank of the Donzère-Mondragon Canal (a diversion channel of the river Rhône) between Valence and Avignon. It occupies a surface ƏȸƺƏ Ȓǔ ז ׎׎ ژ ǝƺƬɎƏȸƺɀ ƬȒɮƺȸǣȇǕ Ɏǝȸƺƺ ȅɖȇǣƬǣȵƏǼǣɎǣƺɀً ȇƏȅƺǼɵ Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux and Pierrelatte in the Drôme département , and Bollène in the Vaucluse département . The site harbours a large number of installations, with a z¨¨ ƬȒȅȵȸǣɀǣȇǕ ǔȒɖȸ ח ׎׎ ژ xáƺ ȸƺƏƬɎȒȸɀً ȇɖƬǼƺƏȸ ǔɖƺǼ ƬɵƬǼƺ facilities, and the BCOT (Operational Hot Unit) which fulfils maintenance and storage functions. ÁȸǣƬƏɀɎǣȇ ȇɖƬǼƺƏȸ ȵȒɯƺȸ ȵǼƏȇɎ Áǝƺ ÁȸǣƬƏɀɎǣȇ z¨¨ ƬȒȅȵȸǣɀƺɀ ǔȒɖȸ ח ׎׎ ژ xáƺ ¨ȸƺɀɀɖȸǣɀƺƳ áƏɎƺȸ «ƺƏƬɎȒȸɀ ٢¨á«ɀ٣ ي ȸƺƏƬɎȒȸɀ ׏ ژ ƏȇƳ ژא ɯƺȸƺ ƬȒȅȅǣɀɀǣȒȇƺƳ ǣȇ ׏ זח ׎ ژ ƏȇƳ ƬȒȇɀɎǣɎɖɎƺ zX וזژ ً ɯǝǣǼƺ ȸƺƏƬɎȒȸɀ ژב ƏȇƳ ג ً ƬȒȅȅǣɀɀǣȒȇƺƳ ǣȇ ׏ זח ׏ً ƬȒȇɀɎǣɎɖɎƺ zX זזژ ِ ³z ƬȒȇɀǣƳƺȸɀ ɎǝƏɎ Ɏǝƺ ȒɮƺȸƏǼǼ ȵƺȸǔȒȸȅƏȇƬƺ Ȓǔ Ɏǝƺ ÁȸǣƬƏɀɎǣȇ ژ z¨¨ with regard to nuclear safety and environmental protection is in line with ASN’s general assessment of EDF plant performance. ASN considers that the radiation protection performance, however, is below the national average. With regard to nuclear safety, the NPP’s performance is on the whole in line with ASN’s general assessment of the EDF plants, but ASN nevertheless considers that it has deteriorated, with events such as the jamming of a spent fuel assembly when removing upper internal equipment from Ɏǝƺ ȸƺƏƬɎȒȸ אژ ȵȸƺɀɀɖȸƺ ɮƺɀɀƺǼً ƏȇƳ Ɏǝƺ ȒƬƬɖȸȸƺȇƬƺ Ȓǔ ȅɖǼɎǣȵǼƺ ƺɮƺȇɎɀ ɀǣǕȇǣǔǣƬƏȇɎ ǔȒȸ ɀƏǔƺɎɵ ƳɖȸǣȇǕ Ɏǝƺ ȸƺƏƬɎȒȸ ׏ ژ ȸƺɀɎƏȸɎ ȵǝƏɀƺ at the end of its fourth ten-yearly outage, despite restarting having begun satisfactorily. More generally, over the year 2019, ASN observed shortcomings in the application of the operating technical specifications, in the implementation of reliability-enhancement practices, the monitoring in the control room, the configuring of systems and the integrity of the first barrier made up by the fuel assembly cladding. The processing of alarms in the control room remained at a satisfactory level further to the steps taken in 2018. With regard to maintenance, ASN considers that the standard of management of scheduled maintenance and refuelling ȒɖɎƏǕƺɀ ƳȸȒȵȵƺƳ ǣȇ א ׎׏ ח ِ Áǝƺ ÁȸǣƬƏɀɎǣȇ z¨¨ ȸƺƏƬɎȒȸ ׏ ژ ɯƏɀ ɀǝɖɎ ƳȒɯȇ ǔȸȒȅ hɖȇƺ ɎȒ (ƺƬƺȅƫƺȸ אژ ׎׏ ח ǔȒȸ ǣɎɀ ǔȒɖȸɎǝ Ɏƺȇ٫ɵƺƏȸǼɵ outage, fitting in as a stage of the fourth periodic safety review (see Notable events ٣ِ Áǝǣɀ ǣɀ Ɏǝƺ ǔǣȸɀɎ Ȓǔ 0(I ټ ɀ ח ׎׎ ژ xáƺ ȸƺƏƬɎȒȸɀ to reach this milestone. ASN considers that the environmental protection performance of the Tricastin NPP is mixed, despite being in line with the general assessment of the EDF plants. While the licensee has taken measures to improve control of containment of liquid effluents, ASN nevertheless notes that a leak in a pipe carrying radioactive effluents led to tritiumpollution of the groundwater of the water table within the site in November 2019. Along with this, ASN again notes a persistent weakness in the radioactive effluent treatment systems. Waste management has improved with respect to 2018, but further improvements can be made. áǣɎǝ ȸƺǕƏȸƳ ɎȒ ȸƏƳǣƏɎǣȒȇ ȵȸȒɎƺƬɎǣȒȇً ³z Ȓƫɀƺȸɮƺɀ ɎǝƏɎ א ׎׏ ژח ɯƏɀ marked by two cases of worker contamination leading to skin exposure of more than one quarter of the annual regulatory limit. Furthermore, several significant events reflect a lack of radiation protection culture in some workers. ASN therefore considers that the Tricastin NPP is below average on this subject and that the licensee must rapidly take fundamental actions to improve the radiation protection culture of the workers on the ground. As far as worker safety is concerned, there are still problems with the regulatory compliance of the facilities, but there were no serious accidents in 2019. Thus, as in 2018, the electrical risk is still not suitably controlled, nor is the risk associated with work at height with, for example, noncompliant scaffolding. 36 ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2019 REGIONAL OVERVIEWOF NUCLEAR SAFETY AND RADIATION PROTECTION Èà0«Jz0 «ٳ Rˆz0 ٳ n¨0³