ASN Report 2017

383 ASN report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2017 Chapter 13  - Nuclear fuel cycle installations The Atlas facility – BNI 176 The creation of the Atlas BNI (Areva Tricastin Analysis Laboratories) by Areva NC was authorised on 30th September 2015. The purpose of the Atlas facility is: ཛྷ ཛྷ to carry out industrial physico-chemical and radio-chemical analyses; ཛྷ ཛྷ to monitor liquid and atmospheric discharges and monitor the environment of the Tricastin facilities. This new laboratory will ensure compliance with the most recent safety requirements. The building chosen for the siting of Atlas is more robust to external hazards than the buildings containing the laboratories it is replacing. ASN authorised the commissioning of Atlas on 7th March 2017. On 24th April 2017, it then gave its preliminary approval for the receipt of samples for the first analysis work in the “process” laboratory. The entire laboratory, with its sections dedicated to “environment” and “process” checks has been in operation since May  2017, with the exception of certain IR and UF 6 sub-sampling benches, which are scheduled to be relocated at the end of 2017. In 2017, ASN carried out two inspections prior to issuing the commissioning authorisation and preliminary approval. These inspections verified the organisation implemented to ensure the compliance of the facility’s equipment and layout with the provisions of the commissioning authorisation application, in particular those of the safety analysis report. In 2018, ASN will ensure that operation of the facility and commissioning of the final analysis benches takes place in satisfactory conditions of safety and in accordance with the safety requirements is has set for the facility. The Tricastin uranium storage facility – BNI 178 Following the delicensing of part of the Pierrelatte defence BNI by decision of the Prime Minister, the Tricastin storage facility BNI was created. This installation groups the uranium storage facilities and the new emergency management premises. ASN registered this facility in December 2016. Since the BNI was created in 2016, two inspections have been carried out. The results of these inspections are satisfactory. In the last quarter of 2017, Areva NC submitted an application to the Minister for Ecological and Solidarity- based Transition to group within this BNI the storage areas currently present in BNI  93 and which are scheduled to continue in service. The P35 facility – BNI 179 Following on from the delicensing process for the Pierrelatte DBNI, BNI P35 was created by decision of the Prime Minister. This facility comprises ten uranium storage buildings. ASN registered this facility in January  2018. Together with the Defence Nuclear Safety Authority (ASND), ASN ensured the continuity of nuclear safety oversight for this facility (see point 3.2). Joint actions are carried out: a facility inspection and walk-downs also took place, enabling ASN to verify the facility’s baseline requirements, which must be brought into line with the BNI regulations. Furthermore, as part of the project to group the storage areas of the Tricastin site within the same BNI, Areva submitted a request to the Minister in charge of Nuclear Safety in the fourth quarter of 2017, to merge BNIs  178 and 179. New uranium storage facility project on the Tricastin site In February 2015, Areva informed ASN that it wanted to create a new BNI intended for storage on the Tricastin site of uranium-bearing materials resulting from fuel reprocessing. After carrying out work to optimise the existing storage facilities on the site, so that the storage saturation date can be pushed back from 2019 to 2021, Areva sent ASN a safety options file in April  2015 concerning the creation of new storage buildings. ASN issued a negative response to this file, which failed to take account of all the regulations applicable to BNIs and which was based on an inappropriate assessment of the natural hazards. Areva consequently submitted a new safety options file and a creation authorisation application for a new BNI in November  2017. ASN will decide on the acceptability of this application in 2018. 1.1.2 Nuclear fuel fabrication plants in Romans-sur-Isère The fabrication of fuel for electricity generating reactors involves the transformation of UF 6 into uranium oxide powder. The pellets fabricated from this powder in the “FBFC” plant in Romans-sur-Isère (BNI 98) are placed in zirconium metal tubes to constitute the fuel rods, which are then grouped together to form fuel assemblies. The fuels used in experimental reactors are more varied and some of them for example use highly-enriched uranium in metal form. These fuels are fabricated in the plant at Romans-sur- Isère called Cerca (BNI 63). In the context of the restructuring of the Areva group (see point 3.3), the responsibility for operation of these BNIs was transferred from Areva NP to New NP (which has since become Framatome, a subsidiary of EDF). On 5th December 2017, ASN observed that the conditions for this transfer had been met, thus making it effective as of 31st December 2017. In 2017, the licensee continued to improve the safety of its facilities, which have been subject to reinforced surveillance by ASN since 2014. In 2017 the improvements in terms of compliance with current safety requirements as well as in terms of operating rigour were confirmed, notably for management of the criticality risk, the qualification of equipment and the performance of periodic checks and tests. The FBFC nuclear fuel fabrication plant – BNI 98 Most of the conformity and reinforcement work on the BNI 98 installations identified during the facility’s periodic safety review, has been completed. Examination of the review file for this facility however showed that further improvements were still necessary, for example concerning management of the seismic risk, the fire risk and risks associated with dangerous substances. The main safety issue for this BNI is