Abstracts ASN Report 2019

ASN considers that the safety of the facility is acceptable, while at the same time noting numerous delays in the operations to remove the fuel and waste from storage. ASN shall be particularly attentive to the monitoring of the intermediate deadlines and the CEA’s commitments. ASN underlines the delay in the construction project for a new facility that is necessary for the retrieval and packaging of priority waste drums. ASN expects of the CEA both rigorous management of this project and compliance with the corresponding deadlines. ASN underlines that projects that contribute to reducing the potential source term within facilities constitute priorities for safety. Floor and metal structure refurbishment work was carried ȒɖɎ ǣȇ ɮƏȸǣȒɖɀ ƫɖǣǼƳǣȇǕɀ Ȓǔ Ɏǝƺ zX ژ ǣȇ א ׎׏ ח ِ ³z ǝƏɀ ȒƫɀƺȸɮƺƳ during inspections that the management of the facility’s sources is suitably organised, with internal instructions and procedures that allow satisfactory implementation of the regulatory provisions. Áǝƺ ɵƺƏȸ א ׎׏ ژח ɯƏɀ ȇƺɮƺȸɎǝƺǼƺɀɀ ȅƏȸǸƺƳ ƫɵ ɀƺɮƺȸƏǼ ɀǣǕȇǣǔǣƬƏȇɎ events concerning noncompliant use of the waste or package storage areas. These events reveal the lack of a questioning attitude on the part of the outside contractors, and a lack of monitoring on the part of the CEA. Lastly, ASN observes shortcomings in the ageing management of the facility and in particular a lack of preventive measures. Áǝƺ ǼǣȷɖǣƳ ƺǔˢɖƺȇɎɀ ȅƏȇƏǕƺȅƺȇɎ ɿȒȇƺ – CEA Centre Áǝƺ ǼǣȷɖǣƳ ƺǔǔǼɖƺȇɎɀ ȅƏȇƏǕƺȅƺȇɎ ɿȒȇƺ ƬȒȇɀɎǣɎɖɎƺɀ zX דבژ ِ (ƺƬǼƏȸƺƳ ƫɵ Ɏǝƺ !0 ƫɵ ǼƺɎɎƺȸ Ȓǔ ژוא xƏɵ ׏ גהח ً Ɏǝǣɀ ǔƏƬǣǼǣɎɵ ǣɀ dedicated to the treatment of radioactive liquid effluents. !0 ɯƏɀ ƏɖɎǝȒȸǣɀƺƳ ƫɵ Ə (ƺƬȸƺƺ Ȓǔ ژז hƏȇɖƏȸɵ א ׎׎ ژג ɎȒ ƬȸƺƏɎƺ ٹ ³ɎƺǼǼƏ ٺ ً Əȇ ƺɴɎƺȇɀǣȒȇ ǣȇ Ɏǝƺ zX ژ ǔȒȸ Ɏǝƺ ȵɖȸȵȒɀƺ Ȓǔ ɎȸƺƏɎǣȇǕ and packaging low-level aqueous effluents from the Saclay centre. These effluents are concentrated by evaporation then immobilised in a cementitious matrix in order to produce packages acceptable by French National Radioactive Waste Management Agency (Andra) above-ground waste disposal centres. The concentration process was put into service in 2010, but the appearance of cracks in the first packages led ASN to limit the packaging operations. The CEA has thus only packaged some of the effluents fromone of the installation’s tanks that contains 40 m 3 ژ Ȓǔ ƬȒȇƬƺȇɎȸƏɎƺɀِ Áǝƺ !0 ǝƏɀ ɀǣȇƬƺ ȅƏƳƺ ȵȸȒǕȸƺɀɀ ǣȇ defining its packaging solution for all the facility’s effluents. Thus, in June 2018, Andra authorised the packaging of these concentrates in accordance with the 12H package approval. In April 2019, ASN received the CEA’s request for authorisation to commission these packages and finalised its examination at the year end. Complementary investigations concerning the stability of the ɀɎȸɖƬɎɖȸƺ Ȓǔ Ɏǝƺ ǼȒɯ ٮ ǼƺɮƺǼ ǼǣȷɖǣƳ ƺǔǔǼɖƺȇɎɀ ɀɎȒȸƏǕƺ ȸȒȒȅ ٢ȸȒȒȅ וחژ ٣ have led the CEA to suspend, since 2016, the acceptance of effluents from other BNIs. The majority of the low- and intermediate-level (LL and IL) radioactive effluents produced by the Saclay site production sources are now directed to the Marcoule Liquid Effluent Treatment Station (STEL), a Defence BNI. In November 2018, in accordance with its commitment, the CEA submitted to ASN a file presenting themanagement strategy for the liquid radioactive effluents from the CEA Île-de-France and Ɏǝƺ ȒɮƺȸƏǼǼ ɀɎȸƏɎƺǕɵ ƬȒȇƬƺȸȇǣȇǕ zX דבژ ِ Xȇ Ɏǝǣɀ ǔǣǼƺ Ɏǝƺ !0 ǝƏɀ set out deadlines for the cementation of the legacy concentrates stored on the site, which is a priority for the facility. ǼȒȇǕɀǣƳƺ Ɏǝǣɀً Ɏǝƺ ɀǣɎɖƏɎǣȒȇ Ȓǔ ȵǣɎ ژחח ƬȒȇɎƏǣȇǣȇǕ ȒǼƳ ɎƏȇǸɀ Ȓǔ organic effluents, with the presence of contaminated sludge in the bottom of the tanks and the bottom of the pit, remains a major clean-out challenge. The clean-out and tank removal studies have been carried out, but ASN is still waiting for an authorisation application file to be submitted for these operations. Áǝƺ (ƺƬȸƺƺ Ȓǔ ژז hƏȇɖƏȸɵ א ׎׎ ژג ƏɖɎǝȒȸǣɀǣȇǕ Ɏǝƺ ƬȸƺƏɎǣȒȇ Ȓǔ ³ɎƺǼǼƏ ƏǼɀȒ ȵȸȒɮǣƳƺƳ ɎǝƏɎ Ɏǝƺ !0 ȅɖɀɎً ɯǣɎǝǣȇ ׏׎ ژ ɵƺƏȸɀً ȸƺȅȒɮƺ Ɏǝƺ ǼƺǕƏƬɵ ƺǔǔǼɖƺȇɎɀ ɀɎȒȸƺƳ ǣȇ Ɏǝƺ ƺǣǕǝɎ ɎƏȇǸɀ ƬƏǼǼƺƳ x ד ׎׎ ژ ƏȇƳ ǣȇ ɎƏȇǸ R ژג Ȓǔ zX דבژ ِ (ɖƺ ɎȒ Ɏǝƺ ɎƺƬǝȇǣƬƏǼ ƳǣǔǔǣƬɖǼɎǣƺɀ ƺȇƬȒɖȇɎƺȸƺƳ in their retrieval and packaging, these operations lasted longer ɎǝƏȇ ȵǼƏȇȇƺƳِ Áǝƺ ȒȵƺȸƏɎǣȒȇɀ ɎȒ ƺȅȵɎɵ Ɏǝƺ ǼƏɀɎ x ד ׎׎ ژ ɎƏȇǸ have progressed significantly and the residual sludge in the bottom of the tanks must now be treated. The inspections carried out by ASN on this facility in 2019 revealed proficiency and a robust organisation with regard to “instrumentation and control”, and satisfactory implementation of maintenance. Shortcomings were however observed in the monitoring of ageing of civil engineering structures. THE CEA SACLAY CENTRE FACILITIES UNDERGOING DECOMMISSIONING The decommissioning operations performed on the Saclay ɀǣɎƺ ƬȒȇƬƺȸȇ ɎɯȒ ǔǣȇƏǼǼɵ ɀǝɖɎ ƳȒɯȇ zXɀ ٢ zX ژ ׏ ژז ƏȇƳ חג ٣ ƏȇƳ Ɏǝȸƺƺ zXɀ ǣȇ ȒȵƺȸƏɎǣȒȇ ٢ zX דבژ ً ג ׎ ژ ƏȇƳ או ٣ً ȵƏȸɎɀ Ȓǔ ɯǝǣƬǝ have ceased activity and in which operations in preparation for decommissioning are being carried out. They also concern two Installations Classified for Protection of the Environment –ICPEs– ٢0n ژא ƏȇƳ 0n ב ٣ً ȵȸƺɮǣȒɖɀǼɵ ƬǼƏɀɀǣǔǣƺƳ Əɀ zXɀ ƫɖɎ ɯǝǣƬǝ ǝƏɮƺ ȇȒɎ been completely decommissioned due to the lack of a disposal route for the low-level long-lived waste. Their downgrading ǔȸȒȅ zX ژ ɎȒ X!¨0 ɀɎƏɎɖɀ ǣȇ Ɏǝƺ ׏ זח ׎ ټ ɀً ǣȇ ƬȒȅȵǼǣƏȇƬƺ ɯǣɎǝ Ɏǝƺ regulations of that time, could not be done today. Broadly speaking, the CEA’s decommissioning and waste management strategy has been examined by ASN, which stated ǣɎɀ ȵȒɀǣɎǣȒȇ Ȓȇ Ɏǝƺ ƳƺǔǣȇƺƳ ȵȸǣȒȸǣɎǣƺɀ ǣȇ xƏɵ א ׎׏ ژח ٢ɀƺƺ zȒɎƏƫǼƺ ƺɮƺȇɎɀ ǣȇ Ɏǝƺ ǣȇɎȸȒƳɖƬɎǣȒȇ ɎȒ Ɏǝǣɀ ȸƺȵȒȸɎ ƏȇƳ ƬǝƏȵɎƺȸ ׏ ב ٣ِ ژ ÈǼɵɀɀƺ ȸƺƏƬɎȒȸ – CEA Centre Ulysse is the first French university reactor. The facility, ɯǝǣƬǝ ƬȒȇɀɎǣɎɖɎƺɀ zX ژ ׏ ז ً ǝƏɀ ƫƺƺȇ ǣȇ ǔǣȇƏǼ ɀǝɖɎƳȒɯȇ ɀɎƏɎɖɀ ɀǣȇƬƺ IƺƫȸɖƏȸɵ א ׎׎ ژו ƏȇƳ ǝƏɀ ƬȒȇɎƏǣȇƺƳ ȇȒ ǔɖƺǼ ɀǣȇƬƺ א ׎׎ ז ِ Áǝƺ zX (ژ ƺƬȒȅȅǣɀɀǣȒȇǣȇǕ (ƺƬȸƺƺ ɯƏɀ ȵɖƫǼǣɀǝƺƳ Ȓȇ א ׏ ژ ɖǕɖɀɎ א ׎׏ ژג ƏȇƳ ȵȸȒɮǣƳƺɀ ǔȒȸ Ə ƳƺƬȒȅȅǣɀɀǣȒȇǣȇǕ ƳɖȸƏɎǣȒȇ Ȓǔ ǔǣɮƺ ژ ɵƺƏȸɀِ Áǝǣɀ ǔƏƬǣǼǣɎɵ ȵȸƺɀƺȇɎɀ ǼǣȅǣɎƺƳ ɀƏǔƺɎɵ ȸǣɀǸɀِ …ȇ ژז ɖǕɖɀɎ א ׎׏ ח ً Ɏǝƺ !0 ƏȇȇȒɖȇƬƺƳ Ɏǝƺ ƺȇƳ Ȓǔ Ɏǝƺ decommissioning operations provided for in the decom- missioning decree, with the completion of final post-operational clean-out. The facility therefore no longer has any areas regulated 64 ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2019 REGIONAL OVERVIEWOF NUCLEAR SAFETY AND RADIATION PROTECTION \n0 (ٳ 0 ٳ I« z!0