Plutonium Technology Facility and Chemical Purification Laboratory – CEA centre The Plutonium Technology Facility (ATPu – BNI 32) produced plutonium-based fuel elements intended for FNRs or experimental reactors as from 1967, then, from 1987 until 1997, for PWRs using MOX (Mixed OXides) fuel. The activities of the Chemical Purification Laboratory (LPC – BNI 54) were associated with those of the ATPu: physical-chemical verifications and metallurgical examinations, treatment of effluents and contaminated waste. The two facilities were shut down in 2003 and are currently undergoing decommissioning. The examination of the periodic safety review files of the two facilities continued in 2023. The operations associated with monitoring, upkeep and operation (SENEX operation), management and monitoring of solid waste and liquid effluents (characterisation, grouping, removal) also continued and enabled the dispersible inventory of the two facilities to be reduced. The cryogenic treatment process removal work also continued. The inspections conducted by ASN in 2023 focused mainly on the static and dynamic containment, on the management of waste in the ATPu and on performance of the periodic safety review in the LPC. The methods of waste removal were also inspected. ASN considers that the level of nuclear safety of the installation on these subjects is broadly satisfactory. In October 2023, the licensee reported a significant event rated level 1 on the INES scale that occurred within the LPC, concerning a safety culture deficiency in an employee of the Risks Prevention Service, linked to noncompliance with controlled area access requirements. ASN will check the implementation of the actions proposed by the licensee to prevent the recurrence of this type of event. The methods of controlling access to areas regulated for radiation protection purposes at the CEA shall be examined in particular. Masurca research reactor – CEA centre The Masurca reactor (BNI 39), whose construction was authorised by a Decree of 14 December 1966, was intended for neutron studies, chiefly on the cores of FNRs, and the development of neutron measurement techniques. The reactor has been shut down since 2007. Final shutdown of the facility was declared by the CEA on 31 December 2018. The licensee submitted the facility decommissioning file in December 2020 and in the interim has carried out decommissioning preparation work, such as removal of asbestos from the premises, rehabilitation of buildings and removal of conventional equipment. This decommissioning file is currently being examined and organisation of the public inquiry is in progress. A file concerning the removal of equipment containing sodium was submitted in late 2023. ASN made a position statement on the safety review guidance file in July 2023. The periodic safety review file is expected in 2025. ASN considers that the level of nuclear safety, particularly regarding the monitoring of outside contractors and radiation protection – themes that were inspected in 2023 – is satisfactory on the whole. Éole and Minerve research reactors – CEA centre The experimental reactors Éole and Minerve are verylow-power (less than one kilowatt) critical mock-ups that were used for neutron studies, in particular to evaluate the absorption of gamma rays or neutrons by materials. The Éole reactor (BNI 42), whose construction was authorised by a Decree of 23 June 1965, was intended primarily for neutron studies of moderated arrays, in particular those of PWRs and Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs). The Minerve reactor (BNI 95), whose transfer from the Fontenay‑aux‑Roses studies centre to the Cadarache studies centre was authorised by a Decree of 21 September 1977, is situated in the same hall as the Éole reactor. Teaching and research activities were carried out on these mock-ups until their final shutdown on 31 December 2017. Decree 2023-1176 of 12 December 2023 brought together the two BNIs 42 and 95 in a single BNI (BNI 42-U) called “Éole / Minerve”, and prescribed the decommissioning operations for this facility. The examination of the decommissioning file for the two facilities ended in 2023. After its referral to the Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Mission (MSNR), ASN issued a favourable opinion on the draft decree bringing together BNIs 42 and 95 in a single BNI (BNI 42-U), and requiring the CEA to decommission this facility. ASN considers that the level of safety of BNI 42-U is satisfactory on the whole, particularly regarding the progress of the latest DECPROs, the organisation of the characterisation and repackaging operations, the radioactive material removal operations and the monitoring of outside contractors. The licensee must however make progress in the monitoring of waste with no immediate disposal route and move forward with the design of containers for removing the start-up sources. The Enriched Uranium Processing Facilities – CEA centre From 1963 to 1995, the Enriched Uranium Processing Facilities (ATUe – BNI 52) converted uranium hexafluoride (UF6) from the Cadarache enrichment plants into sinterable oxide, and ensured the chemical reprocessing of waste from the manufacture of fuel elements. Decommissioning of this facility was authorised by Decrees in February 2006 and 2021, accompanied by ASN requirements describing the conditions of performance of the future decommissioning operations dated 14 October 2021. The activities in the facility in 2023 were essentially maintenance and periodic and regulatory inspection operations. The decommissioning operations are currently resuming following the examination of the new baseline requirements submitted in 2022. ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2023 91 Regional overview of nuclear safety and radiation protection • PROVENCE-ALPES-CÔTE D’AZUR •
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