ASN Report 2020

safety improvements are deployed during the f irst phase, that is during the reactor’s ten-yearly outage. ASN considers that these safety improvements open up the prospect for continued operation of the 900 MWe reactors for a further 10 years following their fourth periodic safety review. By 2031, EDF will have carried out the specif ic phase of the fourth periodic safety review of each of the 900 MWe reactors. The provisions proposed by EDF will then lead to a public inquiry. ASN will then submit for public consultation the draft requirements it considers to be necessary for continued operation of each of the reactors. Flamanville EPR, a complex project facing numerous setbacks ASN remains vigilant with regard to the Flamanville EPR, a complex project facing numerous setbacks. The extensive test programme conducted with a view to reactor commissioning showed that, on the whole, the systems performance requirements are met, but it also revealed deviations, some of which entail installation modif ications. On the basis of the tests performed on the fuel pool safety systems and the inspections it carried out, ASN authorised the arrival of nuclear fuel on the Flamanville EPR reactor site in October 2020 and it is being stored in this pool. The inspection of the EPR equipment has already revealed numerous deviations from the required level of quality. ASN therefore asked EDF to perform a quality review of the Flamanville EPR reactor equipment. With regard to the secondary circuits (main steam lines and steam generator feedwater lines), more than a hundred welds are concerned by deviations. EDF plans to repair some of these welds and justify maintaining others as-is. The repair processes were defined by EDF and are undergoing specific testing and mock-ups for qualif ication of the processes. ASN gives its approval prior to each implementation step. ASN examination of the files justifying maintaining the welds as-is includes an analysis of the consequences of the deviation with respect to non-compliance with the post-weld heat treatment temperatures. ASN is particularly attentive to operating experience feedback from the EPR reactors in Finland and China, which highlights certain subjects requiring specif ic investigation and examination. It notably concerns the stress corrosion on the pilot valves of the EPR reactor at Olkiluoto (Finland), as well as the anomalies on the power distributions in the EPR cores in Taishan (China). A decisive period for decisions on the management of radioactive materials and waste Following the public debate held in 2019 to prepare for the next edition of the National Radioactive Materials and Waste Management Plan (PNGMDR), the Minister in charge of ecology and the ASN Chairman set out the guidelines for this next edition, in a resolution dated 21 February 2020. ASN’s involvement in the drafting of the plan, which had already been queried in 2018 by its peers during an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission, also led to questions being raised during the public debate. With the agreement of the Ministry for Ecological Transition, ASN has decided to cease its role as co-owner of the plan, which constitutes a management policy document that is the responsibility of the Government. ASN has refocused its action on evaluation and oversight of the radioactive materials and waste management routes, to ensure that they are safe. In preparation for the f ifth PNGMDR, ASN thus issued a number of opinions, concerning very low level waste, low level long-lived waste, radioactive materials and high level long-lived waste. One key issue emerged: reinforcing the anticipation culture. Concerning waste management, the previous plans led to the development of numerous studies and the sharing of a large amount of data and information with the stakeholders, so that the possible solutions, their advantages and their drawbacks could be inventoried. The aim now is to make tangible progress ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2020 5 EDITORIAL BY THE COMMISSION