Abstracts ASN Report 2019

facility, there could problems due to capacity limitation. The two Authorities also note uncertainties concerning the management of spent fuels or irradiated materials, which will have to be clarified. ASN and ASND have therefore made several demands of the CEA with the aim of limiting these vulnerabilities, consolidating its strategy and detailing the operations schedule. They demand that the CEA make regular progress reports on the decommissioning and waste management projects, and ensure regular communication with the public, applying procedures appropriate to the nature of the facilities, civil or defence. Lastly, they want special measures to be implemented to monitor the progress of these projects. א ِ ג …ȸƏȇȒ ټ ɀ ɯƏɀɎƺ ȅƏȇƏǕƺȅƺȇɎ ɀɎȸƏɎƺǕɵ ƏȇƳ ǣɎɀ ƏɀɀƺɀɀȅƺȇɎ ƫɵ ³z The spent fuel reprocessing plant at the La Hague site presents the main radioactive waste management issues for Orano. The waste on the La Hague site comprises on the one hand waste resulting from reprocessing of the spent fuel, which generally comes from nuclear power plants but also from research reactors, and on the other, waste resulting from operation of the various facilities on the site. Most of this waste remains the property of the licensees who have their spent fuel reprocessed, whether they ĴŅĸ ŅĸŁĶĻ łŅ ĹłŅĸļĺŁє ŅĸŁĶĻ ŊĴņŇĸ ļņ ķļŅĸĶŇĸķ Ňł ŇĻĸ ŀĴŁĴĺĸŀĸŁŇ routes described earlier, whereas foreign waste is sent back to its country of origin. On the Tricastin site, Orano also produces waste associated with the front-end activities of the cycle (production of nuclear fuel), essentially contaminated by alpha emitters. In mid-2016, Orano (formerly Areva) submitted to ASN and ASND a file presenting the decommissioning and waste management ņŇŅĴŇĸĺŌ ĹłŅ ŇĻĸ ĺŅłňŃѡņ ļŁņŇĴĿĿĴŇļłŁņ ļŁ ŅĴŁĶĸ ĴŁķ ļŇņ ŃŅĴĶŇļĶĴĿ application on the La Hague and Tricastin sites. This file, for which additional elements were received in 2017, is currently being examined. Moreover, Orano submitted general and particular commitments for the La Hague and Tricastin sites in ӅӃӄӋє Ł łŅķĸŅ Ňł ʼnĸŅļĹŌ ŅĴŁłѡņ ĴĵļĿļŇŌ Ňł ŀĸĸŇ ŇĻĸ ķĸĴķĿļŁĸņ łĹ its strategy, ASN initiated an innovative project management ļŁņŃĸĶŇļłŁ ŃŅłĶĸķňŅĸ ļŁ ӅӃӄӌє ŊļĿĿ ĺļʼnĸ ĴŁ łŃļŁļłŁ łŁ ŇĻļņ strategy in 2020. The last review of Orano’s waste management ņŇŅĴŇĸĺŌ ķĴŇĸņ ĵĴĶľ Ňł ӅӃӃӈׇĴŁķ ļŇ łŁĿŌ ĹłĶňņĸķ łŁ ŇĻĸ ŅĸʼnĴ La Hague site. • Áǝƺ ǣɀɀɖƺɀ ƏȇƳ ǣȅȵǼǣƬƏɎǣȒȇɀ The main issues relating to the management of waste produced by Orano concern in particular: ҄ the safety of the legacy waste storage facilities. On the La Hague site, the facilities dedicated to legacy waste retrieval, packaging and storage have to be designed, built and then commissioned. These complex projects meet up with technical difficulties which can make it necessary to adjust deadlines ņĸŇ ĵŌ Ҏņĸĸ ĶĻĴŃŇĸŅ ӄӆҏє ňŅŇĻĸŅŀłŅĸё ŇĻĸ łŁіņļŇĸ ņŇłŅĴĺĸ capacities must be estimated with conservative margins in order to prevent premature filling to capacity. The legacy waste stored on the Tricastin site necessitates a large amount of work to characterise it and find management solutions. The storage conditions in some of the Tricastin site facilities do not meet current safety requirements and must be improved; ҄ the defining of solutions for waste packaging, in particular the legacy waste. These solutions require the prior approval of ASN ļŁ ĴĶĶłŅķĴŁĶĸ ŊļŇĻ ŅŇļĶĿĸ ӉєӊׇłĹ ŇĻĸ ŅķĸŅ łĹ ӊׇ ĸĵŅňĴŅŌׇӅӃӄӅ (see point 2.2.2). Keeping control of the packaging deadlines is a particularly important aspect, which requires the development of characterisation programmes to demonstrate the feasibility 12. The TGGs, currently stored in the pools of the NPPs serve to guide the control rod clusters inside the reactors These parts are significantly activated, especially in their bottom section. EDF considers the removed TGGs to be radioactive waste, to be processed via dedicated disposal or treatment routes. of the chosen packaging processes and to identify sufficiently early the risks that could significantly affect the project. If necessary, when the feasibility of the defined packaging cannot be determined within times compatible with the prescribed deadlines, the licensee must plan for an alternative solution, including in particular interim storage areas allowing the retrieval and characterisation of the legacy waste as rapidly Ĵņ ŃłņņļĵĿĸє ŅŇļĶĿĸ єׇӈӇӅіӄіӆׇłĹ ŇĻĸ ŁʼnļŅłŁŀĸŁŇ łķĸ ņŇĸŃņ up this challenge, as it requires the ILW-LL waste produced ĵĸĹłŅĸ ӅӃӄӈׇŇł ĵĸ ŃĴĶľĴĺĸķ ĵŌ ŇĻĸ ĸŁķ łĹ ӅӃӆӃׇĴŇ ŇĻĸ ĿĴŇĸņŇє Within the framework of the Waste Retrieval and Packaging (WRP) operations, Orano is examining packaging solutions that necessitate the development of new processes, particularly for the following ILW-LL waste: ҄ the sludge from the La Hague STE2 facility; ҄ the alpha-emitting technological waste which comes primarily from the La Hague and Melox (Gard département ) plants and is not suitable for above-ground disposal. łŅ łŇĻĸŅ ŇŌŃĸņ łĹ і ŊĴņŇĸ ŅĸņňĿŇļŁĺ ĹŅłŀ ŇĻĸ operations, Orano is examining the possibility of adapting existing processes (compaction, cementation, vitrification). Part of the associated packaging baseline requirements are currently being examined by ASN. א ِ ד 0(I ټ ɀ ɯƏɀɎƺ ȅƏȇƏǕƺȅƺȇɎ ɀɎȸƏɎƺǕɵ ƏȇƳ ǣɎɀ ƏɀɀƺɀɀȅƺȇɎ ƫɵ ³z Ļĸ ŅĴķļłĴĶŇļʼnĸ ŊĴņŇĸ ŃŅłķňĶĸķ ĵŌ Ķłŀĸņ ĹŅłŀ ņĸʼnĸŅĴĿ distinct activities. It mainly comprises waste from the operation of the nuclear power plants, which consists of activated waste from the reactor cores, and waste from their operation and maintenance. Some legacy waste and waste resulting from ongoing decommissioning operations can be added to this. ļņ ĴĿņł ŇĻĸ łŊŁĸŅё ĹłŅ ŇĻĸ ņĻĴŅĸ ĴŇŇŅļĵňŇĸķ Ňł ļŇё łĹ and ILW-LL waste resulting from spent fuel reprocessing in the Orano La Hague plant. • ƬɎǣɮƏɎƺƳ ɯƏɀɎƺ This waste notably comprises control rod assemblies and poison rod assemblies used for reactor operation. This is ILW-LL waste that is produced in small quantities. At present this waste is stored in the NPP fuel storage pools pending transfer to the Iceda facility once it comes into service. • …ȵƺȸƏɎǣȒȇƏǼ ƏȇƳ ȅƏǣȇɎƺȇƏȇƬƺ ɯƏɀɎƺ Some of the waste is processed by melting or incineration in the Centraco facility, in order to reduce the volume of ultimate waste. The other types of operational and maintenance waste are packaged on the production site then shipped to the CSA or ļŅĸņ ŅĸŃłņļŇłŅļĸņ ĹłŅ ķļņŃłņĴĿ Ҏņĸĸ ŃłļŁŇņ ӄєӆєӄׇĴŁķ ӄєӆєӅҏє Ļļņ waste contains beta and gamma emitters, and few or no alpha ĸŀļŇŇĸŅņє Ň ŇĻĸ ĸŁķ łĹ ӅӃӄӆё ņňĵŀļŇŇĸķ Ĵ ĹļĿĸ ŃŅĸņĸŁŇļŁĺ its waste management strategy. After examining this file, ASN ļŁ ӅӃӄӊׇĴņľĸķ Ňł ĶłŁŇļŁňĸ ļŇņ ŀĸĴņňŅĸņ Ňł ŅĸķňĶĸ ŇĻĸ uncertainties concerning the activity of the waste sent to the CSA, to improve its organisational arrangements to guarantee the allocation of sufficient resources to radioactive waste management, and to present the most appropriate process for the treatment of used steam generators. Lastly, the spent fuel cluster guide tubes (TGG) (12) łĹ ŇĻĸ ĹĿĸĸŇ ҎĴĵłňŇ ӅёӃӃӃҏ ņĻłňĿķ ĵĸ ŇŅĸĴŇĸķ ĵŌ ŌĶĿļĹĸׇ ŅĴŁĶĸ ĴŇ ŇĻĸ ĸŁŇŅĴĶł ĹĴĶļĿļŇŌє Ļļņ ŃŅłĽĸĶŇ ŊłňĿķ comprise three successive stages (interim storage, treatment before melting, then conditioning for transfer to the CSA repository operated by Andra). The various license applications relative to this project are currently being examined by ASN. 362 ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2019 ׏ ٲ ג RADIOACTIVE WASTE AND CONTAMINATED SITES AND SOILS