The time needed to decommission a BNI* can vary significantly from one installation to another and depends on a number of factors; all of them have an impact on the complexity of decommissioning. About twenty years are needed to decommission pressurised water reactors, with the plant series effect generating considerable amounts of experience feedback. Conversely, research reactors are usually unique prototypes, so their decommissioning entails resources specific to each one: for some of them (Ulysse, Strasbourg university reactor), decommissioning takes between 5 and 10 years, while for other types of reactors, it could take several decades. Similarly, certain facilities at La Hague or old waste storage facilities, for example at Cadarache, still contain a large quantity of waste which has to be retrieved and conditioned: for these facilities, new equipment and processes are needed, leading to lengthy and complex decommissioning operations. Your questions, our answers How long does it take to decommission a nuclear installation? On what points does ASN particularly focus with regard to decommissioning? * See glossary page 30 ASN is responsible for overseeing all BNIs*, including those being decommissioned. ASN monitors the decommissioning operations being carried out, by means of inspections and by reviewing the technical files submitted by the licensees. ASN more particularly provides the Ministry for Ecological Transition with support, by carrying out a technical review of the decommissioning files. To do this, it can call on the expertise of the Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), the main technical support organisation it draws on when preparing its position statements. For those files for which the stakes are highest, it can also request the opinion of the Advisory Committee for Decommissioning, which comprises qualified persons, for example from civil society or institutional bodies. What is ASN’s role regarding installations being decommissioned? ASN oversees the entire decommissioning process, which is the subject of inspections in the same way as during operation of the installation. It ensures that the risk prevention measures set out in the regulations are adhered to, as are the deadlines set for the performance of decommissioning. It pays particular attention to the radiation protection of workers, in the light of the new risks created by the dismantling operations, and to mitigating their consequences on the environment. Finally, it regulates and monitors the management of the installation’s radioactive waste. 26 • Les cahiers de l’ASN • June 2022 INFORMING THE PUBLIC
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