Complete revision of the discharge and water intake licences

In 2005, examination of the effluent discharge and water intake licence renewal application for the Golfech plant continued. The public inquiry was held from 30 May to 13 July 2005.

A significant point is that since the application for the Cattenom NPP in 2004, EDF licence applications include an increase in liquid tritium discharge levels, linked to the future fuel management. In this respect, and for the plants concerned, EDF is submitting dossiers for France's consultation of the European Commission under the terms of article 37 of the Euratom treaty. For the Golfech plant, the European Commission's opinion dated 15 November 2005 was favourable, in particular in the light of the very slight radiological impact of the increase requested.

Examination has started on the discharge and water intake licence renewal applications for the Dampierre, Tricastin and Penly power plants.

Partial revisions

In 2005, the ASN concluded examination of the application for a liquid discharge licence as a result of monochloramine treatment to combat the growth of legionella in the secondary systems of the Chinon plant. Based on the results of a public inquiry from 25 April to 25 May 2005 and the data in the application dossier, the licence was granted on 17 August 2005.

In order to improve protection of the Belleville-sur-Loire nuclear power plant from Loire flood levels higher than the reference used in plant construction and to improve the safety of the plant's BNIs, EDF in 2004 submitted a licence application in accordance with the water law, concerning work to raise and extend the existing dyke. The licence was granted on 18 August 2005, after a public inquiry from 1 June to 2 July 2004.

Further to the formal notice delivered in 2003 by the ASN for failure to comply with certain discharge limit values in the effluent discharge and water intake licence of 2 February 1999, the licensee operating the Saint-Laurent-des-Eaux nuclear power plant submitted an application in 2004 for modification of its discharge licence. Examination of this application concluded that the modifications requested by the licensee were not significant. The modified licence should be signed in early 2006.

In 2001, the ASN issued a formal notice to the licensee operating the Belleville-sur-Loire nuclear power plant following non-compliance with a number of requirements of the effluent discharge and water intake licence of 8 November 2000. The licensee then in 2002 submitted an application for modification of its effluent discharge licence. Given the absence of any assessment of the impact on NATURA 2000 sites in the application for modification of the discharge licence, the ASN considered that in 2004 the procedure could not be taken any further. In September 2005, the operator of the Belleville-sur-Loire plant submitted another application for modification of its effluent discharge and water intake licence of 8 November 2000, but this time it included an assessment of the impact on the NATURA 2000 sites. Examination of this application has begun.

Examination of management of associated radioactive and non-radioactive effluent

In 2004, the ASN decided to consult the Advisory Committee for nuclear reactors concerning the management of radioactive effluent and of certain non-radioactive effluent discharged by the French nuclear power plants in operation and concerning the various ways of improving the situation. 2005 was devoted to identifying and preparing the documents necessary for the examination. The opinion of the Advisory Committee is expected by the end of 2007.