In France, the authorisation to create a nuclear facility is issued by the Government, after consulting ASN. This authorisation is issued with no time limit, but an in-depth examination of the installation, called the periodic safety review*, must be performed every 10 years in order to reassess the installation’s operating conditions for the following 10 years. During the periodic safety reviews*, the licensee must ensure that the operation of the facility complies with the applicable safety rules and that the equipment ageing phenomena are adequately managed. The licensee must also improve the safety of its facility by bringing it closer to the levels achieved by the most recent facilities. WHAT THE LAW SAYS The objectives of this periodic safety review* thus notably aim to: – move closer to the safety level of the Flamanville EPR* reactor, – incorporate additional safety systems capable of withstanding extreme hazards and defined in the wake of the accident that struck the Fukushima NPP. Moreover, and as for the 900 MWe reactors, EDF shall be required to improve the ability of its reactors to withstand natural hazards, such as heatwaves, earthquakes or flooding. The aim is to be able to deal with hazards of an intensity far in excess of the situations normally encountered.
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