ASN Report 2020

Flamanville 3 EPR reactor construction worksite Following issuing of the Creation Authorisation Decree 2007‑534 of 10 April 2007 and the building permit, the Flamanville 3 EPR reactor has been under construction since September 2007. During the f irst half of 2020, EDF completed the hot test phases of the facility, which serve in particular to test operation of the nuclear steam supply system and its auxiliary systems under nominal temperature and pressure conditions. ASN considers that the organisation for performing the start-up tests is satisfactory, but that EDF must bolster its analysis of the test results, particularly regarding their representativeness and the validation of the safety criteria. Alongside this, ASN continued the verif ication of the equipment quality review. This review was requested by ASN in 2018 due to serious shortcomings in EDF’s monitoring of outside contractors. As in 2019, ASN considers that EDF must supplement its complementary inspections programme, particularly as regards equipment other than pressure equipment. In 2020, EDF defined a preservation strategy for the systems, structures and components that have been mothballed until the EPR reactor is commissioned. In the last quarter 2020, ASN started the review of this strategy and conducted an inspection to check that is was properly implemented. This inspection concluded that the organisation in place is satisfactory. Further inspections will be carried out on this subject in 2021. ASN authorised the first repairs of the reactor main secondary system welds in 2020. ASN carried out several checks on the preparation of these activities and unannounced inspections to check compliance with the requirements concerning these operations. ASN considers that the preparatory work carried out by EDF and its service providers, and the organisation gradually put in place for performing the operations, are satisfactory. ASN will continue its monitoring of these welding activities in 2021 and will be attentive to ensuring that resources and the organisation are adequate to carry out a larger volume of repairs at the same time. Lastly, on 8 October 2020 ASN authorised the partial commis­ sioning of the Flamanville EPR reactor for the arrival of nuclear fuel within the reactor perimeter. Several inspections were carried out to check the conformity of the facilities and the operating rigour in the transport and handling of the fuel assemblies. The verif ications carried out during these inspections showed the condition of the facility and the licensee’s preparedness to be satisfactory for fuel to enter the site. As regards environmental protection, ASN notes that the licensee took appropriate corrective measures to correct the various shortcomings found during the tightened inspection of 2019. ASN considers that the licensee’s consideration of environmental risks is improving. ASN fulfils the labour inspection duties on the Flamanville 3 construction site. In 2020, ASN checked in particular that outside contractors working on the site complied with the provisions relative to labour law. Observation of the applicable safety rules formed the subject of an inspection adapted to the health crisis conditions. These inspections relating to safety revealed no significant failings. The particular context of the facility, with its partial commissioning, has also been the subject of points requiring particular attention with regard to management of the f ire risk in the industrial buildings and organisation for the prevention of risks under the joint responsibility of worksite management and the licensee. ASN also responded to requests coming directly from employees and conducted investigations further to workplace accidents. Manche waste repository The Manche waste repository (CSM), which was commis­ sioned in 1969, was the f irst radioactive waste repository operated in France. 527,225 cubic meters (m 3 ) of waste packages are emplaced in it. The CSM stopped accepting further waste in July 1994. From the regulatory aspect, the CSM is in the decommissioning phase (operations prior to its closure) until the installation of the long-term cover is completed. An ASN resolution shall specify the date of closure of the repository (entry into monitoring and surveillance phase) and the minimum duration of the monitoring and surveillance phase. Examination of the periodic safety review guidance f ile had resulted in ASN formulating specif ic demands at the end of 2017, concerning the justif ication of the technical principles of deployment of the long-term cover, the CSM memory system and the updating of the impact study. In this context, ASN is currently examining the CSM periodic safety review report submitted by the French radioactive waste management agency (Andra) in 2019. ASN considers that the organisational set-up implemented for operating the facilities in 2020 is satisfactory. More specifically, in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic health crisis, the licensee has put in place an activity continuity plan based on the physical protection, environmental monitoring and curative maintenance of the facilities. In the light of the regular exchanges with the licensee and the inspection carried out in December 2020, ASN considers that the measures adopted have enabled monitoring to be maintained at a satisfactory level. In addition, the analysis of the experience feedback specific to this period will enable the organisation to be further improved. ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2020 77 REGIONAL OVERVIEWOF NUCLEAR SAFETY AND RADIATION PROTECTION NORMANDIE