ASN Report 2015

over the gaseous diffusion process used in the old Eurodif

plant: it consumes less electrical energy (75 MWe as

against 3,000 MWe for equivalent production) and is

safer, because the quantities of material present in the

centrifuge cascades are far smaller (6 tonnes in GB II

instead of 3,000 tonnes in Eurodif) and are utilised in

gas form at below atmospheric pressure.

The GB II plant comprises two separate enrichment

units (South and North units) and a support unit, the

REC II. In early 2009, ASN authorised commissioning

of the South enrichment facility. Today, all the cascades

in the South unit are in service.

The North unit is built along the same lines as the South

unit but only contains six rather than eight modules

and differs in that it is authorised to enrich the uranium

resulting from reprocessing of spent fuel in the first pair

of modules. The start-up authorisation for this facility

was given by ASN on 31st January 2013. Enrichment

of the uranium resulting from reprocessing has never

been implemented in the facility and requires prior

authorisation from ASN. The gradual start-up of the

enrichment cascades was virtually completed in 2015

under the supervision of the cascades start-up internal

authorisation committee, which functions satisfactorily.

The conclusions of the criticality risk inspection carried

out by ASN in 2014 were unsatisfactory and in 2015

ASN checked that the SET had taken steps to improve

its management of this risk.

ASN also authorised the commissioning of the unit

dedicated to the transfer, sampling and inspection of

nuclear material (REC II) in its resolution 2014-DC-0461

of 7thOctober 2014. This unit contains the main nuclear

safety and chemical issues of the GB II facility. In 2015,

ASN checked the conditions for the commissioning

of this facility. ASN considers that the reliability of the

facility’s operation needs to be improved.

The Georges Besse II plant displayed a satisfactory

standard of safety in 2015. The technologies utilised

in the facility enable high standards of safety, radiation

protection and environmental protection to be reached.

The Atlas facility

Decree  2015-1210 of 30th November 2015 authorised

Areva NC to create the Atlas BNI (Areva Tricastin analysis

laboratories). The purpose of this facility is to group the

activities currently performed by the industrial analysis

laboratories specific to the various Areva facilities on the

Tricastin and Romans-sur-Isère sites. The licensee then

submitted a commissioning authorisation application for

this BNI. This application is currently being examined

and the result should be made known in late 2016

– early  2017.

Grouping of the Tricastin site storage

areas within the same BNI

In 2012, Areva submitted a safety options file for the

Écureuil project for the creation on the Tricastin site

of an extension to the storage capacity for U

from

reprocessing, using existing and previously delicensed

buildings. ASN issued an opinion on the options file

in October 2013. This project was then abandoned by

the licensee.

In February 2015, Areva informed ASN that it wanted

to create a new BNI intended for management of the

stock of uranium-bearing materials on the Tricastin site.

After carrying out work to optimise the existing storage

facilities on the site, which enables the storage saturation

date to be pushed back from 2019 to 2021, Areva sent

ASN a safety options file in April  2015 concerning

the creation of new storage buildings to replace the

Écureuil

project. ASN issued a negative opinion on this

safety options file, which failed to take account of the

changes made to the regulations since 2012 and which

was based on obsolete natural hazards. Areva envisages

submitting a creation authorisation application for a

new BNI in late 2016.

FBFC nuclear fuel fabrication plant in Romans-sur-Isère.

419

CHAPTER 13:

NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE INSTALLATIONS

ASN report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2015