Effluent advanced management and processing facility (Agate) – CEA centre The Effluent advanced management and processing facility (Agate – BNI 171), commissioned in 2014 to replace BNI 37-B which is now shut down, uses an evaporation process to concentrate radioactive liquid effluents containing mainly beta- and gamma-emitting radionuclides. In 2023, the CEA filed a request to modify the facility creation decree to enable it to process new types of radioactive effluents. The CEA must submit the concluding report for its first periodic safety review to ASN no later than 29 April 2024. ASN considers that the standard of safety, radiation protection and operation of the facility are satisfactory and consistent with an objective of continuous safety improvement. ASN underlines that this facility plays a central role in the management of the CEA effluents and as such constitutes a sensitive facility in the CEA’s decommissioning and material and waste management strategy. Jules Horowitz Reactor project – CEA centre The Jules Horowitz Reactor (JHR – BNI 172), under construction since 2009, is a pressurised-water research reactor designed to study the behaviour of materials under irradiation and of power reactor fuels. It will also allow the production of artificial radionuclides for nuclear medicine. Its power is limited to 100 MWth. The equipment construction and manufacturing activities continued in 2023, particularly in the reactor building and the nuclear auxiliary building. The defects observed on the primary/secondary heat exchanges are undergoing expert assessments. The corrective action plan is to be submitted in early 2024. ASN considers that the level of nuclear safety of the CEA Cadarache centre in 2023 remains satisfactory on the whole. The follow-up of commitments and the responses to ASN further to inspection operations are broadly satisfactory. ASN has however observed that deadlines are not always met, particularly regarding the action plans resulting from the periodic safety reviews of the facilities and certain decommissioning operations. With regard to the management of deviations relating to nuclear safety, the CEA’s quality organisation enables the corrective actions to be carried out. Improvements are required however in the analysis of the causes of certain deviations. Furthermore, in 2023 ASN focused particular attention on the theme of control of sub-criticality in the centre’s facilities. It was noted that the centre has an organisation relating to the control of chain reactions that complies with ASN resolution 2014-DC-0462 of 7 October 2014. Moreover, in the context of revival of the nuclear sector, ASN will be attentive to the maintaining of skills, as much with the CEA’s personnel as≈with the outside contractors performing PIAs. With regard to the accomplishment of new work projects, ASN notes large disparities depending on the worksites concerned. The JHR construction work is carried out with rigour and diligence, in both its organisation and worksite monitoring, but major shortcomings were noted at the beginning of the year in the general organisation, conducting and monitoring of the construction work of the Cadarache emergency centre, baptised “CIRCE”, a French acronym standing for “Response centre withstanding extreme conditions”. Progress was nevertheless noted on these themes as of mid-year, although efforts are still≈required in the organisation and quality of performance of the activities on the worksite and the management of deviation processing. ASN will remain particularly attentive to the Cadarache emergency centre construction work, and to the constructions necessary for the decommissioning of the facilities. With regard to the theme of on-site transport of radioactive substances, improvements are expected in the application of the requirements of the Technical Operating Rules (RTEs) concerning packaging maintenance operations and the checks of packaging-content compatibility. With regard to emergency situation management, the situational exercise performed during an inspection showed the good coordination between the BNI personnel and the Local Safety Organisation (FLS) of the CEA Cadarache centre. During the 2023 inspection of the FLS, the inspectors noted the quality of its organisation. Improvements are nevertheless required in the traceability of skills currency training. ASN considers that the radiation protection situation of the CEA Cadarache centre remains at the same level as in the preceding years. The Cadarache centre has set up its radiation protection skills centres under Articles R. 593‑112 of the Environment Code and R. 4451‑113 of the Labour Code further to the authorisation issued by ASN on 23 December 2022. Concerning waste management in the BNIs, the management of deviations and the traceability of waste monitoring are adequately ensured. Progress is nevertheless expected in the categorisation of certain wastes currently identified as having no available disposal route, with the aim of reducing the volume of waste stored in the facilities. Particular attention shall be paid to the tracking of the filling dates of drums containing this waste in order to reduce their storage time in the BNIs. ASN will also remain vigilant to the legacy waste characterisation and repackaging operations, and to the prospects of disposal routes for sources surplus to requirements. ASN observes that the level of environmental protection is relatively satisfactory. Improvements have been made in the analyses carried out in the Environmental Chemistry Laboratory (LCE) of the centre. Areas for progress are still identified in the checks of the industrial effluents network, the compliance work on the installed base of piezometers, and the management of the centre’s stormwater. The management approach for polluted sites and soils is still a subject of discussion at the CEA. ASN is still waiting to receive the update of the centre’s impact study, taking into account the summed discharges from the Cadarache platform facilities. ASN is finishing the examination of a first modification to the centre’s discharge authorisations to take into account the changes to the BNIs since 2016. ASSESSMENT OF THE CEA CADARACHE CENTRE 94 ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2023 Regional overview of nuclear safety and radiation protection • PROVENCE-ALPES-CÔTE D’AZUR •
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