ASN considers that the safety of the facility is satisfactory, while at the same time noting numerous delays in the operations to remove the fuel or waste from storage. ASN nevertheless notes with approval the removal of ten fuel cans out of the fifteen present in the pool of a building, which contributes to the gradual reduction of its dispersible inventory. In 2023, ASN examined the organisation put in place by the facility for the management of deviations, monitoring of the ageing of the pits and the progress in the operations concerning the removal of fuel from the pool and rods of uranium oxide pellets contained in a package called “RCC”. Delays are still observed in the removal of the cans contained in the RCC packaging and in the deployment of the “Removal of fuel bins” project (EPOC(2)). The EPOC project was stopped following the breach of the project management contract. ASN notes with approval the measures taken by the CEA with the aim of taking over the management of this project. Furthermore, the opening of a pit in November 2023 to conduct non-invasive investigations was carried out satisfactorily. These operations help to consolidate the project input data. ASN nevertheless remains vigilant regarding CEA’s management of the EPOC project and will monitor the recovery work on the first drum, for which the time frame remains to be consolidated by the licensee. Alongside this, ASN’s inspections find the facility to be in good overall condition. ASN nevertheless expects improvements in the tracking of the deviations observed when monitoring the condition of the waste storage pits, and in the tracking and observance of the frequency of periodic inspections and tests. Liquid effluents management zone The Liquid Effluents Management Zone (ZGEL) constitutes BNI 35. Declared by the CEA by letter of 27 May 1964, this facility is dedicated to the treatment of radioactive liquid effluents. The CEA was authorised by a Decree of 8 January 2004 to create “Stella”, an extension in the BNI for the purpose of treating and packaging low-level aqueous effluents from the Saclay centre. These effluents are concentrated by evaporation then immobilised in a cementitious matrix in order to produce packages acceptable by the French National Radioactive Waste Management Agency (Andra). The evaporation facility used to treat the radioactive effluents has been out of service since 2019 due to technical anomalies on an equipment item. At present the facility is no longer capable of fulfilling its functions (evaporation of effluents, encapsulation of concentrates in cement, collection of effluents from the Saclay effluent producers). The process of encapsulation in cement, used to treat the concentrates in the facility, was nevertheless stopped temporarily by the CEA in June 2021. The CEA’s decision was made further to the production of two active packages that did not comply with the 12H packaging approval obtained from Andra in 2018. ASN authorised entry into service of the process in 2020. 2. This project involves a process intended to retrieve and package drums containing a mix of waste and fuel fragments which are currently stored in pits in the facility. The retrieval of these drums requires specific equipment, given the uncertainties concerning their integrity. Alongside this, the CEA has suspended reception of effluents from other BNIs since 2016, due to the conducting of complementary investigations into the stability of the structure of the room for storing low-level liquid effluents (room 97). The majority of the low- and intermediate-level radioactive effluents produced by the Saclay site production sources are now directed to the Marcoule Liquid Effluent Treatment Station (STEL). This situation, which raises questions about the possibility of resuming management of liquid effluents in the BNI in the coming years, receives particular attention from ASN in its discussions with the CEA on its effluent management strategy. ASN expects the CEA to make a significant investment to render the facility operational so that, in priority, the legacy effluents stored there can be retrieved and packaged within appropriate time frames. In 2023, ASN authorised a modification concerning the separator shell, enabling the evaporation campaigns to be restarted. Several other issues of major importance for the BNI are currently being discussed or examined. These include in particular the emptying of the tanks containing organic effluents in pit 99, an operation authorised for one of the tanks in 2022 and which remains a major clean-out challenge; determining the clean-out strategy for the MA 500 tanks; and finalising the emptying of tank MA 507. The inspections carried out in 2023 revealed a satisfactory organisational set-up and tools for keeping track of the commitments made to ASN and for managing deviations. During the inspections, the inspectors found the facility and the premises to be in good overall condition and the teams to be duly responsive. Furthermore, the emptying of the pit 99 tank has been started with the tests in inactive and active mode and must be continued. Lastly, the licensee has undertaken to restore the conformity of the facility’s piezometers. Improvements are expected however, particularly regarding the finalisation of the fire-related action plan resulting from the safety review of 2017 and the management of the atmospheric effluents (iodine traps, emission measurements and flow rate). Lastly, ASN observes that the actions prescribed after the periodic safety review of 2007 have not all been completed to date. FACILITIES UNDERGOING DECOMMISSIONING The decommissioning operations underway on the Saclay site concern two BNIs (BNIs 49 and 72). Decommissioning preparation operations are carried out in two definitively shut down BNIs (BNIs 40 and 101). Operations are also being carried out on parts of the in-service BNI 35 which have ceased their activity. Two Installations Classified for Protection of the Environment (ICPEs – EL2 and EL3) previously classified as BNIs but which have not been completely decommissioned due to the lack of a disposal route for the low-level long-lived waste, are also concerned by decommissioning. Their downgrading from BNI to ICPE status in the 1980’s, in compliance with the regulations of that time, could not be done today. ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2023 65 Regional overview of nuclear safety and radiation protection • ÎLE-DE-FRANCE •
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