ASN Report 2020

2.10.3 Current periodic safety reviews in the Nuclear Power Plants The 900 MWe reactors The third periodic safety review In July 2009, ASN issued a position statement on the generic aspects of continued operation of the 900 MWe reactors beyond their third periodic safety review. ASN did not identify any generic elements compromising EDF’s ability to ensure the safety of the 900MWe reactors up until the next periodic safety review. It considers that the new baseline safety requirements presented in the generic safety report for the 900MWe reactors and the modifications to the installation envisaged by EDF are such as to maintain and improve the overall level of safety of its nuclear power reactors. This generic assessment does not take account of any specific individual aspects and ASN gives a ruling on the suitability for continued operation of each nuclear power reactor, notably on the basis of the results of the conformity checks and the assessment made in the periodic safety review concluding report for the reactor submitted by EDF. At the beginning of 2021, 33 of the 34 reactors of 900MWe had carried out their third periodic safety review and have incorporated the improvements resulting from this review. In 2020, ASN also sent the Minister responsible for nuclear safety its analysis of the periodic safety review concluding report for the Tricastin NPP reactor 4. On the basis of this analysis, ASN did not identify any elements compromising EDF’s ability to ensure the safety of this 900MWe reactor up until the next periodic safety review. Pursuant to Article L. 593-19 of the Environment Code, ASN took this opportunity to issue additional binding requirements designed to reinforce the safety of this reactor. The fourth periodic safety review A review with major implications The 34 EDF 900 MWe reactors were commissioned between 1977 and 1987 and the first of them are approaching their fourth periodic safety review. The conditions for the continued operation of these reactors, except for the two reactors of the Fessenheim NPP, which were definitively shut down in 2020, will therefore be defined within this framework. These two reactors will be the subject of a specific periodic safety review. For the other 32 reactors, there are a number of particular implications in this fourth periodic safety review: ∙ Some items of equipment are reaching their design-basis lifetime. The studies concerning the conformity of the installations and the management of equipment ageing therefore need to be reviewed to take account of the degradation mechanisms actually observed and the main­ tenance and replacement strategies implemented by EDF. ∙ The modifications associated with this periodic safety review will enable the integration of the modifications specified by ASN following the Fukushima Daiichi NPP accident to be completed on these reactors. ∙ The safety reassessment of these reactors and the resulting improvements must be carried out by comparison with the new-generation reactors, such as the EPR, the design of which meets significantly reinforced safety requirements. Fessenheim 1 Fessenheim 2 Bugey 2 Bugey 3 Bugey 4 Bugey 5 Tricastin 1 Gravelines 1 Tricastin 2 Tricastin 3 Gravelines 2 Dampierre 1 Gravelines 3 Saint-Laurent B1 Dampierre 2 Saint-Laurent B2 Blayais 1 Dampierre 3 Tricastin 4 Gravelines 4 Dampierre 4 Blayais 2 Chinon B1 Cruas 1 Blayais 4 Blayais 3 Chinon B2 Cruas 3 Paluel 1 Cruas 2 Paluel 2 Gravelines 5 Cruas 4 Saint-Alban 1 Paluel 3 Gravelines 6 Flamanville 1 Paluel 4 Saint-Alban 2 Flamanville 2 Chinon B3 Cattenom 1 Cattenom 2 Nogent 1 Belleville 1 Chinon B4 Belleville 2 Nogent 2 Cattenom 3 Penly 1 Golfech 1 Cattenom 4 Penly 2 Golfech 2 Chooz B1 Chooz B2 Civaux 1 Civaux 2 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1993 1996 1997 1999 1,800MWe 1,800MWe 1,800MWe 7,200MWe 6,300MWe 1,800MWe 3,600MWe 6,200MWe 4,800MWe 6,100MWe 4,800MWe 2,600MWe 3,900MWe 1,300MWe 1,300MWe 1,300MWe 1,450MWe 2,900MWe 1,450MWe Total power Date of first criticality Source: ASN. 1,300 MWe 1,450 MWe 900 MWe Time-line of first criticality of the French nuclear power reactors ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2020 313 10 – THE EDF NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS 10