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LYON DIVISION
ASN considers that the environmental protection
performance of the Saint-Alban/SaintMauriceNPP is, on
the whole, in line with the general assessment of the EDF
plants. ASNnotes that the operational results for discharges
are positive, reflecting improved management of EDF’s
operational control actions. The sitemust nevertheless be
more diligent in applying certain regulatory requirements
andmonitoring contractors responsible for certain sampling
operations and/or analyses. ASN also notes that the fire
outbreak in the site’s laundry highlighted shortcomings
in the response to the conclusions of the fire risk studies
of 2010. Lastly, ASN recommends the Saint-Alban/Saint-
MauriceNPP to bemore forward-looking inpreparing the
files it is required to submit to thewater policing services.
In the area of worker protection, ASN notes that the
radiation protection results for the two reactor outages
were on the whole satisfactory, despite some disparities
observed on the ground. Work health and safety results
are generally satisfactory: ASN notes that the accident
frequency rate continued to fall in 2015 for the fifth year
running and that no serious accidents occurred.
Cruas-Meysse nuclear power plant
ASN considers that the nuclear safety performance of the
Cruas-Meysse NPP falls short of its general assessment
of EDF performance. ASN notes that operating rigour
at the Cruas-Meysse NPP has been sub-standard since
2014 and that 2015 was marked by shortcomings in
compliance with the operating technical specifications
and in operating rigour. These shortcomings were revealed
above all by the large number of significant safety events
that occurred during the peak of activity resulting from
simultaneous restarting of two reactors in September
2015. It is an absolute necessity for EDF to improve its
safety culture and operating rigour in 2016 to meet the
safety challenges of the 10-year outages of reactors 4 (in
2016) and 2 (in 2017).
In a context of a very high maintenance workload, the
Cruas-Meysse NPP showed persistent weaknesses in the
reliability of maintenance activities in 2015. ASNnotes in
particular that the third 10-year outage of reactor 1 lasted
twice as long as EDF initially planned. The NPP has also
had difficulty inmaking reliable technical diagnoses for
several technical problems. Lastly, ASN notes a lack of
control of foreign material exclusion from the systems
and pools.
ASN considers that the environmental protection
performance of the Cruas-Meysse NPP remains below
its general assessment of the EDF fleet. ASN notes that
the Cruas-Meysse NPP made considerable efforts in
2014 and 2015 and demonstrated greater rigour inwaste
management. Nevertheless, several events notified in the
second half of 2015 raise further questions on the site’s
management of liquid containment.
With regard to radiation protection, 2015 continues
in line with the preceding years: dosimetry is under
control but there are difficulties in obtaining satisfactory
levels of radiological cleanness during reactor outages
and deficiencies in controlling access to areas with high
dosimetric risks.
From the aspect of health and safety at work, ASN
observes that the workplace accident results remain
sub-standard and the site’s performance is below that
of the EDF nuclear fleet for the third year running, with
a poor accident frequency rate, even though there were
no serious accidents in 2015. Lastly, labour relations on
the site remain complex, despite the improvements noted
in the last few years: more specifically, the committee
for health, safety and working conditions must start
functioning more smoothly again.
Tricastin nuclear power plant
ASN considers that the nuclear safety performance of the
TricastinNPPon thewholematches its general assessment
of the EDF plants, as it has done over the last three years.
AlthoughEDFhasmadeprogress in theperiodic tests, ASN
observes adeterioration in the results of systemconfiguring
actions (alignments and lockout/tagout), resulting from
weaknesses in organisational and human factors.
Regardingmaintenance, ASNobserves that the Tricastin
NPP’s management of reactor outages remains good on
the whole, even though technical events resulting from
errors in work performance were discovered during the
restarting phases, particularly concerning the outage of
reactors of 1 and 2.
ASN considers that the environmental protection
performance of the TricastinNPP is in linewith the general
assessment of the EDF plants. Although the operational
results for radioactive discharges are on the whole good,
ASNnotes that the plant must be attentive to its chemical
discharges. ASN notes that waste management can be
improved: the lack of space in the site’s conditioning
auxiliaries building has reached a worrying level that
requires the licensee to implement lasting measures to
restore appropriatemanagement of this building. Lastly,
ASN considers it vital for the licensee to improve the
containment of liquids (whether radioactive or chemicals)
in view of the numerous deviations observed in this
area in 2015.
With regard to occupational health and safety, the results
of the Tricastin NPP meet the objectives it had set itself
and there were no serious accidents. The management
of lockouts remains tenuous and the site must remain
attentive to electrical risks.
Lastly, labour relations remain constructive, but ASN
nevertheless draws EDF’s attention to the conditions
of taking on contractors’ employees in the context of
renewal of a major worksite assistance contract.
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CHAPTER 08 :
REGIONAL OVERVIEW OF NUCLEAR SAFETY AND RADIATION PROTECTION
ASN report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2015