PALUEL NUCLEAR POWER PLANT The Paluel NPP operated by EDF in the municipality of Paluel in the Seine‑Maritime département, 30 km south-west of Dieppe, comprises four 1,300 MWe PWRs, commissioned between 1984 and 1986. Reactors 1, 2, 3 and 4 constitute BNIs 103, 104, 114 and 115 respectively. The site accommodates one of the regional bases of the Nuclear Rapid Intervention Force (FARN) created by EDF in 2011 further to the Fukushima Daiichi NPP accident 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. ASN considers that the performance of the Paluel NPP with regard to nuclear safety, radiation protection and environmental protection is on the whole in line with the general assessment of EDF plant performance. With regard to nuclear safety, ASN considers the performance of the NPP to be satisfactory. Progress is nevertheless required in system configuring in order to comply with the operating instructions and error-reduction practices. The year 2023 was marked by several situations of out-of-service equipment necessitating reactor shutdowns and reflecting a problem of reliability of these equipment items. Furthermore, following two inspections which found shortcomings in the functionality of the emergency equipment utilisation sequences, ASN wants to see significant improvements in the management of their deployment in emergency situations. With regard to maintenance, ASN has noted that the three reactor outages for maintenance and refuelling went smoothly on the whole. ASN does however note that the site’s organisation for characterising deviations when carrying out works is not sufficiently robust and must be improved. Incorrect or incorrectly applied operational documents are also the cause of inappropriate maintenance operations or maintenance quality deficiencies. The site must intensify its efforts to get the personnel to take on board the safety issues before starting work operations, and must improve work monitoring. With regard to radiation protection, ASN notes good control of the radiological cleanliness of the facilities and of the upkeep of worksites with a dosimetric risk. ASN nevertheless considers that the site must continue the action undertaken to correct the recurrent problems of personnel failing to comply with procedures for accessing limited-stay (orange) areas and the lack of radiation protection culture. As for environmental protection, ASN considers that the Paluel NPP has obtained satisfactory results in environmental monitoring and notes an improvement following the measures taken to reduce discharges of ozone-depleting gases. ASN has nevertheless noted shortcomings in waste management and the licensee must be particularly attentive to the management of on-site transport of hazardous materials. With regard to labour inspection, ASN observes that the workers know and comply with the safety requirements. The site must continue the work it has started on this subject, particularly with regard to management of the risk of falling from height and the management of pressurised gas cylinders. ASN’s inspections have also revealed deviations in the application of the regulations concerning young workers. The installations and activities to regulate comprise: • Basic Nuclear Installations: • the Flamanville NPPs (2 reactors of 1,300 MWe), Paluel (4 reactors of 1,300 MWe) and Penly (2 reactors of 1,300 MWe) operated by EDF, •the Flamanville 3 EPR reactor construction worksite, •the Orano spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plant at La Hague, • the Manche repository (CSM) of the National Radioactive Waste Management Agency (Andra), • the National Large Heavy Ion Accelerator (Ganil) in Caen; • small-scale nuclear activities in the medical field: • 8 external-beam radiotherapy departments (27 devices), •1 proton therapy department, •3 brachytherapy departments, •12 nuclear medicine departments, • 50 centres performing fluoroscopy-guided interventional procedures, • 70 computed tomography scanners, • some 2,100 medical and dental radiology devices; • small-scale nuclear activities in the industrial, veterinary and research sectors: • about 450 industrial and research centres, including 20 companies with an industrial radiography activity, • 5 particle accelerators, including 1 cyclotron, •21 laboratories situated mainly in the universities of the region, • 5 companies using gamma ray densitometers, •about 260 veterinary surgeries or clinics practising diagnostic radiology, 1 equine research centre and 1 equine hospital centre; • activities linked to the transport of radioactive substances; • ASN-approved laboratories and organisations: • 9 head-offices of laboratories approved for taking environmental radioactivity measurements, •1 organisation approved for radiation protection controls. Chapter 7 p. 204 Chapter 8 p. 240 Chapter 9 p. 270 ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2023 71 Regional overview of nuclear safety and radiation protection • NORMANDIE •
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