THE INSTALLATIONS AND ACTIVITIES TO REGULATE COMPRISE: Basic Nuclear Installations: • the Blayais NPP (4 reactors of 900 MWe), • the Civaux NPP (2 reactors of 1,450 MWe); small-scale nuclear activities in the medical field: • 19 external-beam radiotherapy departments, • 6 brachytherapy departments, • 26 nuclear medicine departments, • 89 centres performing fluoroscopy-guided interventional procedures, • 116 computed tomography scanners, • some 6,000 medical and dental radiology devices; small-scale nuclear activities in the industrial, veterinary and research sectors: • about 700 industrial and research centres, including 59 companies with an industrial radiography activity, • 1 cyclotron particle accelerator, • 49 laboratories situated mainly in the universities of the region, • some 500 veterinary surgeries or clinics practising diagnostic radiology; activities associated with the transport of radioactive substances; ASN-approved laboratories and organisations: • 2 organisations approved for radiation protection controls, • 15 organisations approved for measuring radon, • 8 laboratories approved for taking environmental radioactivity measurements. Civaux nuclear power plant The Civaux NPP is operated by EDF in the Vienne département, 30 km south of Poitiers in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. It comprises two 1,450 MWe PWRs, commissioned in 1997 and 1999. Reactors 1 and 2 constitute BNIs 158 and 159 respectively. The site accommodates one of the regional bases of the FARN created by EDF in 2011 further to the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi NPP in Japan. Its role is to intervene in pre-accident or accident situations, on any NPP in France, by providing additional human resources and emergency equipment. The Civaux NPP had a highly singular year in 2022 with its two reactors shut down. This situation is linked to the management of the stress corrosion phenomenon detected in 2021 on reactor 1 which affects certain pipes connected to the primary system, and the proceedings of the ten‑yearly outages on the two reactors. Consequently, with regard to safety, ASN is unable to compare the performance of the Civaux NPP with that of the other NPPs. It considers that the radiation protection performance of the Civaux NPP stands out positively with respect to its general assessment of the EDF plants, and that its environmental protection performance is in line with this general assessment. In the area of nuclear safety, ASN commends the attitude of EDF which gave priority to the safety of its facilities by voluntarily maintaining the outage of its two reactors in order to successfully replace pipes potentially affected by stress corrosion cracks. During this period where the operational control teams were less occupied with controlling the facilities, ASN notes that EDF took appropriate measures to maintain and develop its employees’ skills by reactively adapting the training programme for the purpose of integrating numerous modifications associated with the second ten‑yearly outage. With regard to maintenance, ASN considers that the situation of the site is satisfactory on the whole. It nevertheless considers that the associated documentation needs to be improved, as does the monitoring of contractors. The year 2022 was marked in particular by a maintenance non-quality which caused a sudden loss of sealing of the main primary system during the increase in its pressure for its hydrostatic test. The event had no major consequences. ASN observed the licensee’s competent management of this event. Lastly, management of equipment lockouts/tagouts prior to interventions is considered sub-standard and must be improved. Worker radiation protection was an important issue in 2022 due to the large number of activities associated with the two ten‑yearly outages. As in 2021, ASN considers that radiological cleanliness is one of the site’s strong points. The collective dosimetry associated with the pipe replacement work to prevent the stress corrosion phenomenon was lower than expected, thereby limiting the ionising radiation exposure of the workers. ASN nevertheless still observes inappropriate behaviours of workers in controlled areas with respect to the applicable radiation protection rules. It notes missing radiations meters and noncompliant worksite air locks. With regard to environmental protection, ASN considers that in 2022 the Civaux NPP managed waste and radioactive effluents satisfactorily. Significant progress has been observed in the projects for containing fire extinguishing liquids and for the management of backfill soils, but this must be consolidated. With regard to labour inspection, ASN considers that the organisational set up for detecting and addressing hazardous situations and the adopting of the key points of the lockout/ tagout procedures must be rendered more robust. It notes in particular several risk situations for workers in confined environments. ASN has also observed recurrent deficiencies in the control of the asbestos-related risk, which have resulted in several cases of accidental exposure. ASN considers that the licensee must step up its efforts in this area. Nevertheless, ASN takes positive note of the setting up of weekly workshops intended for the managers to promote the safety culture within their teams, and the site’s undertaking to accompany contractors during field visits. ABSTRACTS – ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2022 83 Regional overview of nuclear safety and radiation protection • NOUVELLE-AQUITAINE •
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