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2.1.7 Irradiated Material Facility (AMI)
This facility (BNI 94) situatedon the nuclear site of Chinon
(Indre-et-Loire
département
)wasnotifiedandcommissioned
in1964, and is operatedbyEDF. Itsmainpurpose is to carry
out reviews and assessments of activated or contaminated
materials from PWR reactors.
2015 saw the gradual transfer of the expert appraisal
activities to a new facility on the site – the Lidec (Integrated
Laboratoryof theCEIDRE). Consequently there arenomore
expert appraisal activities in theAMI. ASNwas particularly
attentive to the management of this transfer.
Duringoperationof theAMI, a fewmalfunctions occurred in
workmanagement andperformance and in theperformance
of tests. The fire-response provisionsmust bemademore
robust. Ina context inwhich theorganisationof the facility is
due to change significantly in2016, ASNwill beparticularly
attentive to the licensee’s compliance with the facility’s
baseline requirements and to operating rigour.
The decommissioning authorisation application file
submitted by the licensee in June 2013 must, in view
of the requestsmade at the end of 2014, be supplemented
to indicate the initial state of the installation at the time
of application of the decree authorising shutdown and
decommissioning, planned towards the end of 2017.
As part of the decommissioning preparation operations,
specific provisions will be implemented for the packaging
and storage of some of the waste. The waste in question is
legacy waste for which appropriate management routes
are not yet available. ASN will be attentive to the legacy
waste recovery and packaging operations, given the
lateness accumulated over the last few years.
With the prospect of a periodic safety review in2017, ASN
has examined the review orientation file and additional
requests have been made to the licensee.
2.2 CEA installations
ASN and ASND (Defence Nuclear Safety Authority)
have noted that the decommissioning operations and
the recovery and packaging of CEA legacy waste are
significantly behind schedule, the forecast duration
of the decommissioning and legacy waste retrieval
operations has been very significantly increased, and
there is considerable lateness in the transmission of
decommissioning files. Consequently, ASN and ASND
have asked CEA to present the new decommissioning
strategy envisaged by CEA for all the BNIs and individual
installations situated inside the Secret Basic Nuclear
Installations (SBNIs), within one year. ASN and
ASND have asked CEA to draw up decommissioning
programmes for the next fifteen years based on prioritised
priorities of safety, radiation protection and environmental
protection, particularly taking into account the total
potential activity of the radioactive and hazardous
substances present in the installation.
ASN and ASNDhave therefore asked CEA to conduct an
overall reviewof the nuclear installation decommissioning
strategy and themanagement of CEA’s radioactive waste;
this reviewmore specifically concerns the prioritisation
of operations, human resources and the effectiveness
of the organisational set-ups to achieve them and the
appropriateness of the financial resources allocated to these
operations. ASNandASNDhave also askedCEA to increase
the human resources assigned to the decommissioning
operations and to the organisation of its decommissioning
and waste management programmes. Lastly, they have
asked CEA to review the budget resources assigned to
decommissioning operations.
2.2.1 The Fontenay-aux-Roses centre
CEA’s first research centre, located inFontenay-aux-Roses
(Hauts-de-Seine
département
) since 1946, is continuing to
move away fromnuclear activities in order to concentrate
on research into the life sciences.
TheCEAFontenay-aux-Roses centre comprises twoBNIs,
namelyProcédé (BNI 165) andSupport (BNI 166). BNI 165
accommodated the research and development activities
on nuclear fuel reprocessing, transuranium elements,
radioactivewaste and the examination of irradiated fuels.
These activities were stopped in the years 1980-1990.
BNI 166 is a facility for the characterisation, treatment,
reconditioning and storage of legacy radioactivewaste and
waste from the decommissioning of BNI 165.
Lifting of the Superphénix stopping point
Decree 2006-321 of 2nd March 2006 authorising
decommissioning of the Superphénix reactor stipulates that
starting of the residual sodium treatment operations after
emptying the main vessel must receive prior authorisation from
ASN. On this account, in 2014 EDF transmitted a file in
for this operation, which will be carried out in two stages:
• carbonation of the residual sodium,
• filling the reactor vessel with water.
This operation is necessary for the dismantling of the reactor
vessel and its internal parts which must be carried out under
water.
The main safety issues involved in the treatment of the residual
sodium of the main vessel are represented by the risks of an
uncontrolled sodium-water reaction and a hydrogen explosion.
These risks are controlled in particular by the systems of
the Sodium Treatment Installation (TNA) situated on the
reactor vessel, which limit the injection flow rates and control
discharges from the vessel into the reactor building.
After examination, ASN authorised starting of these operations
through a resolution of 21st December 2015.
TO BE NOTED
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CHAPTER 15:
SAFE DECOMMISSIONING OF BASIC NUCLEAR INSTALLATIONS
ASN report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2015