ASN Report 2017

396 ASN report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2017 Chapter 14  - Nuclear research and miscellaneous industrial facilities subcontracting, operating experience feedback and safety in routine operations were the subject of examinations and of two ASN inspections of the Cadarache and Saclay centres. These actions enabled ASN to verify the effective implementation of the CEA measures resulting from its commitments and the ASN requests, since 2010. The implementation of these measures was considered to be on the whole satisfactory, subject to reinforcement of the SOHF and safety skills of certain personnel in charge of events analysis and project management. In 2017, ASN summarised the investigations and observations made in 2016. The aim is to target those topics to be covered in greater depth by CEA and then incorporated into its next three-yearly review, planned for the first half of 2018. This three-yearly review will be the subject of a forthcoming examination by ASN. ASN will also be particularly vigilant with regard to the impact of the change in CEA’s safety organisation in 2018 as a result of: ཛྷ ཛྷ the shutdown of the “risk management” centre following the reorganisation implemented in 2016. This notably led to the “general and nuclear inspectorate” reporting directly to the Chairman; ཛྷ ཛྷ the “general and nuclear inspectorate” recommendations formulated in the CEA annual report, published in July 2017. 1.1.3 Monitoring of CEA’s “major commitments” to nuclear safety and radiation protection In 2006, ASN stated that it wanted to see more rigorous monitoring of the CEA subjects with the highest potential safety consequences, by means of an oversight tool at the highest level within CEA, in particular for the decision-making process. This oversight tool thus allows targeted monitoring of priority actions for which deadlines are clearly set. In 2007, CEA therefore presented ASN with a list of “major commitments”. This list is periodically updated and transmitted to ASN. Any postponement must be duly justified and discussed with ASN. The overall results of this system to date are on the whole positive. At the end of 2017, CEA presented ASN with the update of its “major commitments” (Table 1). It should be pointed out that four “major commitments” were completed in 2017: transmission of the definition file for the BNI 37 structural reinforcements, the removal of all radioactive materials from BNI 53, the compliance of BNI 55 with the falling loads risk and reduction of the source term in BNI 56. 1.1.4 The periodic safety reviews The Environment Code requires that the licensees carry out a periodic safety review of their facilities every ten years. This review is designed to allow an appraisal of the situation of the facility with respect to the rules applicable to it and to update the assessment of the risks or detrimental effects presented by the facility, notably taking into account the condition of the facility, acquired operating experience, changes in knowledge and the rules applicable to similar facilities. For facilities which had not yet undergone such a review, the Environment Code required that the licensees submit their first periodic safety review conclusions report no later than 1st November 2017. CEA submitted 16 periodic safety review reports (see box opposite) in 2017. The examination of these 16 files will take several years, given the specific nature of each of these facilities. This review has major implications owing to the commissioning of most of these facilities in the early 1960s, to their past management but also the adoption of more recent safety standards. Once the examination has been carried out, ASN will determine the conditions allowing continued operation of these facilities. In 2017, ASN will continue its site inspections in conjunction with the periodic safety reviews on two facilities, Rapsodie and Masurca. The review files were submitted in 2015 and the ASN examination is nearing its completion. The inspectors found that CEA had taken account of the lessons learned from the last “periodic safety review” inspections carried out by ASN in the drafting of their review files. CEA must however improve the traceability of the various measures taken following the periodic safety reviews of its facilities. TABLE 1: New CEA “major commitments” SITE BNI ACTION DEADLINE Marcoule 71 (Phénix) Transmit the NOAH commissioning file for decommissioning of Phénix 2nd half 2021 177 (Diadem) Transmit the commissioning file 1st half 2019 Saclay 35 (Stella) Recovery of effluents from tank MA500 2nd half 2018 56 (Storage area) Complete recovery of stainless steel packages from pit 6 2nd half year 2022 72 (ZGDS) Remove fuels from pool and block storage 2nd half year 2022 72 (ZDGS) Eventually stop accepting routine production of radioactive waste from Saclay. Then initiate the post-operational clean-out and decommissioning process Redefinition of this commitment following the change in waste management strategy Fontenay-aux-Roses 165-166 (Process-Support) Remove from BNI 166 the LLW/ILW/HLW organic effluents resulting from R&D work in BNI 165 1st half 2019