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Oversight of construction activities
on the Flamanville 3 site
In 2015, ASN carried out twenty inspections on the
Flamanville 3 construction site tomonitor construction, the
performance of the first start-up tests and the preparedness
of the teams whowill be in charge of operating the reactor.
These in particular concerned the following technical
topics:
•
civil engineering, including the activities involved in the
pre-stressing of the reactor building inner containment,
the concrete sealing of the limonite ring around the
reactor vessel at the bottom of the reactor cavity and
those involved in the construction of the future local
emergency centre;
•
the mechanical assembly activities, more specifically
concerning the reactor main primary system, the
hydraulic part and the motor of a reactor coolant
pump, the reactor safeguard systems, the neutron
fluxmeasurement system in the reactor vessel and the
equipment necessary for operation of the emergency
generator sets;
•
the electrical systems installation activities, including
cable drawing in the buildings;
•
the first start-up tests and the associated organisation,
in particular for the equipment situated in the reactor
pumping station and the premises ventilation equipment;
•
non-destructive inspection of welds, inparticular during
the pre-service inspection of the primary system, and
worker radiation protection;
•
the organisation of the operating staff for the future
Flamanville 3 reactor, for production of the operating
documentation, preparations for accepting fuel and
integration of organisational and human factors;
•
the environmental impact of the construction site;
•
the reception and installation of non-nuclear pressure
equipment.
In its construction site oversight activities, ASN devoted
particular attention to the following subjects in 2015:
•
maintaining a strategy to conserve the equipment
and structures present on the construction site until
the commissioning of Flamanville 3. Owing to the
reactor commissioning postponements announced by
EDF, ASN ensures that EDF pays particular attention
to defining and complying with requirements for
conserving the equipment already installed and the
structures already built. ASN regularly examines this
point during its inspections, in particular ensuring
that the risks associated with work being carried out
in the buildings simultaneously by several trades are
taken into account.
•
EDF handling of deviations which occurred during
the pre-stressing operations. Pre-stressing determines
compliance with the inner containment’s ability to
withstand an accident situation. The pre-stressing
operations gave rise to deviations concerning the
tensioning of the cables and the infilling of the sheaths
with grout. ASNwas attentive to the implementation
of the action plan defined by EDF to handle these
deviations and prevent them from happening again.
•
continuation of the main primary system installation
activities and the handling of several deviations.
This system contains the reactor core and is thus of
primary importance for safety. With regard to EDF’s
activities, ASN examined the monitoring carried out
by EDF on the outside contractors participating in
installation of the primary system, in particular its
manufacturer Areva NP. In this respect, ASN pays
particular attention to compliance with the worksite
cleanness requirements and the adequate management
by EDF of joint-contractor work in the vicinity of
the equipment.
•
the preparation for and performance of the first
start-up tests on the ventilation equipment and
integration of experience feedback for continued
testing in the pumping station. The start-up tests
must help demonstrate that the reactor’s structures,
systems and components meet the requirements
assigned to them.
•
the preparation for operation of the Flamanville 3
reactor by the EDF entity which will be responsible
for operation after construction. This entity currently
comprises more than 400 staff. With a view to reactor
commissioning, EDF is continuing with a process of
gradual transfer of responsibility for the operation
of the structures, systems and components from
the entity in charge of construction and reactor
start-up operations to the entity in charge of its
future operation. The steps in this process enable
future operating personnel to upgrade their skills,
familiarise themselves with the reactor equipment,
draw up operating documentation and develop the
appropriate tools. Through its oversight, ASN verifies
whether the future operating staff take advantage of
operating experience and best practices employed in
EDF’s NPPs and whether they correctly assimilate the
working of the equipment during reactor construction
and systems start-up tests.
Labour inspectorate duties on the Flamanville 3
reactor construction site
The actions carried out by the ASN labour inspectors
in 2015 consisted in:
•
carrying out safety checks on the construction site;
•
answering direct queries from the employees;
•
carrying out inquiries following occupational accidents.
In 2015, the ASN labour inspectors also continued
with the judicial procedures to deal with illegal work,
for which investigations were under way.
Monitoring the manufacture of nuclear pressure
equipment for the Flamanville 3 reactor
Over the course of 2015, ASN continued to assess
the conformity of the Nuclear Pressure Equipment
(ESPN) for the reactor primary and secondary systems.
Manufacturing has been completed for the major
equipment items and is in progress for cocks, valves
and check-valves.
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CHAPTER 12:
EDF NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS (NPPs)
ASN report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2015