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contained. The reactor pool has been emptied, partially
cleaned out anddecommissioned. In addition, 23 tonnes
of sodium are stored and must be removed to the CEA
Marcoule centre for treatment.
The CEA transmitted its complete decommissioning
authorisationapplication toASNinDecember 2014and the
periodic safety review file for the installation inMay 2015.
In July 2015, ASN informed the Minister responsible for
Nuclear Safety, who had referred this file to ASN, that
further information was necessary in order to continue
the examination.
TheworkcurrentlybeingperformedbyCEAchiefly involves
renovation, clean-out and decommissioning operations
limited to specific equipment items, along with waste
removal operations. ASN considers that the standard
operating operations are carried out regularly, that the
premises arewell kept and that substantial workhadbeen
carried out tomake the applicable documents consistent
with the general operating rules. The measures taken by
CEA to ensure removal of the sodium-containing waste
still present in the installation by 2018 are also closely
monitored by ASN.
Thepurpose of theLDAC, locatedwithin theRapsodieBNI,
was toperforminspections and examinations on irradiated
fuels from the fast-neutron reactors. This laboratory has
been shut down since 1997 and partially cleaned out. Its
decommissioning is included in the decommissioning
project for the entire BNI.
Two successive significant events that occurred in the
radiochemistry laboratory early in the year highlighted
the singular situation of this installation classified on
environmental protectiongroundswithin theBNI. TheBNI
licensee reacted appropriately bymaking improvements in
the organisation of the interfaces with this laboratory and
through safety awareness-raising actionswith its personnel.
Enriched Uranium Processing Facilities (ATUEs)
Until1995,theATUEsconverteduraniumhexafluoridefrom
the enrichment plants into sinterable oxide, and ensured
the chemical reprocessing of waste fromthemanufacture
of fuel elements. The installationwas also equippedwith
a low level organic liquid incinerator. Production in the
facilities ended in July 1995 and the incinerator was shut
down at the end of 1997.
The installation’s final shutdown and decommissioning
authorisation Decree of 8th February 2006 prescribed
work completion in 2011. After having observed that the
decommissioningoperationswerestoppedandthatCEAhad
not followed up its request to submit a newauthorisation
application file inorder to complete the decommissioning,
ASN served CEA with a compliance notice on 6th June
2013. InFebruary 2014CEA submitted a newapplication
for authorisation to complete the decommissioning and
clean-out operations. Considering that this filemeets the
conditions set in the compliance notice resolution, ASN
suspendedthenoticeresolutionbyaresolutionon29thApril
2014. However, it turnedout that further informationwas
required, whichASN indicated to theMinister responsible
for Nuclear Safety who had referred this file to ASN. The
additional informationwas provided inDecember 2015.
The Plutonium Technology Facility (ATPu) and the
Chemical Purification Laboratory (LPC)
TheATPuproducedplutonium-based fuel elements initially
intended for fast neutron or experimental reactors and
then, as of the 1990s, for pressurisedwater reactors using
MOX fuel. The LPC’s activitieswere associatedwith those
of the ATPu: physical-chemical checks andmetallurgical
examinations, treatment of effluents and contaminated
waste. The two facilities were shut down in 2003.
CEA is the nuclear licensee for these facilities. Areva NC
has been the industrial operator responsible for operation
of the facilities since 1994 and is also responsible for their
decommissioning until CEA takes over this latter activity
completely, which is planned for the second half of 2016.
Decommissioning of the two facilities, authorised by the
Decrees of 6thMarch2009 andgovernedby the resolutions
of 26th October 2010, continued in 2015 with a large
volume of operations, resulting in a significant reduction in
the source term. For some of these operations the licensee
mademodificationdeclarations, examinedbyASN, suchas
the retrieval of bitumen fromthe annular tanks of the LPC.
With regard to the cryogenic treatment unit, the
decommissioningoperations authorisedbyASNresolution
of 20th October 2011 are in progress.
ASNhas kept close trackof implementationof themeasures
takenbyCEA further to the compliancenotice resolutionof
19thFebruary2013concerningmonitoringofAreva NCand
management of the skills associatedwithdecommissioning
safety, and the organisation put in place by the operator
appears to be effective on the whole.
In2016ASNwill remain attentive to the situation of these
two BNIswith regard to social, organisational andhuman
factors, and will see to the long-term continuation of the
progress registeredso that the resumingof decommissioning
activitiesbyCEAafterthedepartureoftheindustrialoperator
takes place under suitably safe conditions.
2.2.4 The Saclay centre installations
undergoing decommissioning
The decommissioning operations carried out on the
site concern two BNIs in final shutdown state and three
BNIs in operation but with sections that have stopped
their activity and on which preparatory operations for
decommissioning are being carriedout. They also concern
two ICPEs (Installations Classified on Environmental
Protection grounds), EL2 andEL3, whichwere previously
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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