Les cahiers de l'ASN #01 - Nuclear power plants: going beyond 40 years

Over and above the issues concerning all the 900 MWe reactors, account must be taken of the particularities of each NPP, installed in a specific environment, for example on the coast or on a river. Therefore, safety improvement measures decided on for all the reactors in the same plant series must be supplemented by provisions particular to each nuclear facility: this is the specific aspect, which takes account of the risks inherent in the site on which the reactor is installed (flooding, earthquake, etc.). In the same way as any periodic safety review, the 10-year extension is based both on the characteristics of the reactors of the same plant series and on an analysis of the particular facility. It leads to a range of requirements issued by ASN, to be implemented by the licensee over a period of several years , under the supervision of ASN: civil engineering work, upgrading of the organisation, installation or replacement of safety equipment, steps to improve prevention of a natural hazard or consolidate spent fuel storage, etc. For each site, the ASN requirements will ensure long-term improvement of the safety of the facility . REINFORCED CONSULTATION The periodic safety review process incorporates several phases of public consultation about ASN’s generic opinions (position on the EDF safety general guidelines, ASN position on the generic phase, etc.) along with meetings in the field with the local information committees*. Similarly, a public inquiry will be organised for each reactor , during the specific phase, following which ASN will draw up its requirements. Throughout the process, the local information committees* –which regularly bring together the licensee, ASN, members of associations and local residents– contribute to the debates and to the decisions. GENERIC GUIDELINES Compliance with the design baseline requirements: > Anticipate equipment wear and tear > Check the leaktightness of the containment* > Carry out the hydrotest* Safety improvement: > Guarantee the supply from electricity sources > Optimise the corium catcher* in the event of core melt > Minimise core melt risks > Ensure safe conditions for fuel storage SPECIFIC 4th periodic safety review of the French 900 MWe nuclear power reactors • 9