Some of these projects present particular difficulties owing to the extent of their radiological inventory or their unprecedented nature. In effect, progressing with these projects sometimes requires that specific processes be designed on the basis of technologies that are not yet tried and tested, or that management routes be put in place for radioactive waste for which there is as yet no disposal solution. Making specific efforts to identify the short and medium-term milestones contributes to the successful management of these projects. The scale of these projects and the particular difficulties they can present has led CEA and Orano to prioritise those presenting the greatest challenges, applying a strategy approved by ASN, and to define the first steps necessary for them to progress under the oversight of ASN, even when their completion time frame is very distant. The following table gives a summarized presentation of the next deadlines for the main decommissioning and Waste Retrieval and Packaging (WRP) projects, along with the difficulties encountered in their implementation. CEA Cadarache BNI OPERATION AND DESCRIPTION CHALLENGE NEXT KEY STEPS ASN OBSERVATIONS BNI 22 Decommissioning of Pégase facility Safety of storage pool with respect to a seismic hazard Limitation of dependency of Cascad in terms of active institutional controls • Retrieval and conditioning of araldite-encapsulated fuels from the Pégase facility (planned to start in 2025 (*) ). • Decoupling of Pégase and Cascad facilities (envisaged from 2030 to 2035). In 2022, ASN authorises the “removal of araldite-encapsulated fuels from storage” (DECAP) process allowing reconditioning of the araldite-encapsulated cans for storage in the Cascad facility. BNI 22 comprises two facilities: the Pégase facility being decommissioned and the Cascad facility in operation. The end of decommissioning is scheduled for 2065 (*). BNI 37B Retrieval and conditioning of all the residues in the facility’s tanks Safety of the pits containing waste with respect to seismic and fire hazards • Construction of a new building and commissioning of an entirely automated retrieval process requiring substantial preliminary operations (scheduled for 2052). • Definition of the definitive conditioning process. The facility decommissioning file is currently being examined; its time frame targets are set for the very distant future, beyond 2100 for completion of decommissioning; these will be examined with particular attention. * Deadline as presented in the last file subject to public inquiry or the deadline stipulated by ASN. Observatory of waste retrieval and conditioning and decommissioning projects Given the large number of their facilities in final shutdown status or undergoing decommissioning, CEA, Orano and EDF must carry out various Waste Retrieval and Conditioning (WRC) and decommissioning projects simultaneously. 354 ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2023 • 14 • Decommissioning of Basic Nuclear Installations
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