Abstracts ASN Report 2019

IǼƏȅƏȇɮǣǼǼƺ ȇɖƬǼƺƏȸ ȵȒɯƺȸ ȵǼƏȇɎ Operated by EDF and situated in the Manche département ǣȇ Ɏǝƺ ȅɖȇǣƬǣȵƏǼǣɎɵ Ȓǔ IǼƏȅƏȇɮǣǼǼƺً ژדא Ǹȅ ɀȒɖɎǝ ٮ ɯƺɀɎ Ȓǔ Cherbourg, the Flamanville NPP comprises two pressurised ɯƏɎƺȸ ȸƺƏƬɎȒȸɀً ƺƏƬǝ Ȓǔ ׏ً ב ׎׎ ژ xáƺ ƬȒȅȅǣɀɀǣȒȇƺƳ ǣȇ ׏ ژדזח ƏȇƳ ׏ הזח ِ «ƺƏƬɎȒȸ ׏ ژ ƬȒȇɀɎǣɎɖɎƺɀ zX ژ ׏׎ ژז ƏȇƳ ȸƺƏƬɎȒȸ ژא zX ژ ׏׎ ח ِ ASN considers that the performance of the Flamanville NPP in the areas of safety, radiation protection and environmental ȵȸȒɎƺƬɎǣȒȇ ƳƺɎƺȸǣȒȸƏɎƺƳ ǣȇ א ׎׏ ژח ƏȇƳ ǣɀ ƫƺǼȒɯ Ɏǝƺ ɀɎƏȇƳƏȸƳ Ȓǔ the other EDF NPPs. With regard to reactor operation and operational control, ASN considers that the site’s performance has to be improved, particularly as regards control of the state and conformity of the facilities. The licensee must ensure that all the employees properly embrace the baseline requirements and improve the detection of deviations in the field. With regard to the ten-yearly outage of reactor 2, ASN again considers that work preparation and monitoring of the maintenance operations must be improved. ASN still observes a large number of maintenance errors on equipment important to safety. Moreover, ASN considers that the licensee has not taken sufficient account of the lessons learned from Ɏǝƺ ɀǝɖɎƳȒɯȇ Ȓǔ ȸƺƏƬɎȒȸ ׏ ژ ǔȒȸ ǣɎɀ ǔǣȸɀɎ Ɏƺȇ ٮ ɵƺƏȸǼɵ ȒɖɎƏǕƺً particularly as concerns the preparation and performance of the primary cooling system hydrostatic test, the monitoring of outside contractors and management of foreign material exclusion from the systems. ASN considers that the performance of the NPP with regard to worker radiation protection is inadequate. Inappropriate operating conditions for workers have been observed several times during ASN inspections. The licensee also reported a large number of significant radiation protection events in 2019, including several cases of internal or external contamination. These events confirm the site’s lack of proficiency in the fundamentals of radiation protection and the workers’ lack of culture in this area. With regard to environmental protection, ASN has observed that the licensee has an insufficient grasp of the waste management regulations. EDF must also improve its monitoring of the service providers who work in the area of environmental protection. With regard to worker safety, ASN notes that several workplace accidents were caused by shortcomings in work preparation by EDF. ¨ƏǼɖƺǼ ȇɖƬǼƺƏȸ ȵȒɯƺȸ ȵǼƏȇɎ The Paluel NPP operated by EDF in the municipality of Paluel in the Seine-Maritime département ً ב ׎ ژ Ǹȅ ɀȒɖɎǝ ٮ ɯƺɀɎ Ȓǔ (ǣƺȵȵƺً ƬȒȅȵȸǣɀƺɀ ǔȒɖȸ ׏ً ב ׎׎ ژ xáƺ ȵȸƺɀɀɖȸǣɀƺƳ ɯƏɎƺȸ ȸƺƏƬɎȒȸɀً ƬȒȅȅǣɀɀǣȒȇƺƳ ƫƺɎɯƺƺȇ ׏ ژגזח ƏȇƳ ׏ הזח ِ «ƺƏƬɎȒȸɀ ׏ً א ً ژב ƏȇƳ ژג ƬȒȇɀɎǣɎɖɎƺ zXɀ ׏׎ ב ً ׏׎ ג ً ׏׏ ژג ƏȇƳ ׏׏ ژד ȸƺɀȵƺƬɎǣɮƺǼɵِ The site accommodates one of the regional bases of the Nuclear Rapid Intervention Force (FARN) created by EDF ǣȇ א ׎׏׏ ژ ǔɖȸɎǝƺȸ ɎȒ Ɏǝƺ IɖǸɖɀǝǣȅƏ (ƏǣǣƬǝǣ z¨¨ ƏƬƬǣƳƺȇɎِ Its role is to intervene in pre-accident or accident situations, on any nuclear power plant in France, by providing additional human resources and emergency equipment. ASN considers that performance of the Paluel NPP with regard to nuclear safety, radiation protection and environmental protection is on the whole in line with the general assessment of EDF. With regard to nuclear safety, ASN considers that the deviation management process implemented on the site is effective and that causes stemming from organisational and human factors are analysed in depth. The licensee must now focus on addressing the identified root causes, as a large number of significant events result from inappropriate responses by the workers, deficiencies in the knowledge of the baseline requirements, or operational documentation of sub-standard quality or readability. As far as operation is concerned, ASN considers that the performance of the NPP has dropped slightly and it notes a lack of rigour in the operational control activities. On this subject, improvements are expected in the quality of the operational control documentation, in staff training, in activity preparation and in the monitoring of activities in the control room. Performance concerningmaintenance is satisfactory. However, at several inspections ASN has observed deficiencies in the performance of the conformity checks, chiefly concerning the ventilation system anchoring points. ASN therefore considers it necessary to continue to increase rigorousness in the preparation and checking of maintenance activities. The NPP must also improve the monitoring of work performed by outside contractors. ASN considers that the NPP’s performance in occupational radiation protection must be improved, particularly regarding compliance with the requirements for entering controlled areas and the radiation protection culture of the workers. With regard to environmental protection, ASN considers that the licensee must tighten the monitoring of outside contractors, mainly at the wastewater treatment plant. ASN underlines the improvements the site has made in order to control discharges of gases that deplete the ozone layer. ÁǣǕǝɎƺȇƺƳ ȅȒȇǣɎȒȸǣȇǕ In 2019, ASN decided to place the Flamanville Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) under tightened monitoring further to the difficulties EDF has encountered with this NPP since mid-2018. Following the summoning of the NPP director, EDF submitted an action plan aiming to reinforce the control and monitoring of the operating activities. ASN will be particularly attentive to this action plan and will increase its oversight in 2020. ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2019 69 REGIONAL OVERVIEWOF NUCLEAR SAFETY AND RADIATION PROTECTION NORMANDIE