ASN Report 2020

Read online Le cahier de l’ASN #03 on french- nuclear-safety.fr 10 YEARS AFTER FUKUSHIMA What safety improvements for nuclear facilities in France? AUTORITÉ DE SÛRETÉ NUCLÉAIRE #03 • MARCH 2021 LES CAHIERS DE L’ASN #03 The Fukushima nuclear accident Reinforcing safety in France Crisis and post-accident management in France Lessons learned from other nuclear accidents Safety improvements made to nuclear facilities in France T he Fukushima Daiichi NPP accident highlighted the need to reinforce t he resilience of nuclear facilities and organisations in the face of extreme situations. E xtensive work was started at the national, European and international levels t o learn the relevant lessons. Ten years later, how has the safety of nuclear facilities i n France improved? S tress tests T his French approach was part of two f ramework: on the one hand, at the r equest of the French Prime Minister (r eferral to ASN of 23 March 2011), the p erformance of a nuclear safety audit o f the French civil nuclear facilities in the light of what happened in Fukushima Daiichi; on the other, at the request of the European Council (meeting of 24 and 25 March 2011), the performance of stress tests ( see chapters 10, 11, 12 and 13 ). To ensure that the European and French frameworks were consistent, the French specifications for the stress tests (ECS) were drawn up on the basis of the European specifications , drafted by Western European Nuclear Regulators’ Association (WENRA). One particularity of the French approach however was that it concerned all facilities and not simply nuclear power reactors. The approach consisted in evaluating the margins available in the facilities in situations beyond those considered in the safety studies . To do this, scenarios resulting from extreme natural hazards (flooding, earthquake), or the total loss of systems important for safety, such as electrical power supply or cooling systems, were studied. The approach also covered the management of severe accidents that could result from these scenarios. 26 ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2020 10 YEARS AFTER THE FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI ACCIDENT