ASN Report 2021

• some low-level or intermediate-level, short-lived waste (LL/ILW-SL), called “deferred transfer” waste, intended for above-ground disposal but requiring a period of radioactive decay ranging from several years to several decades before being accepted at the Aube repository (CSA –BNI 149), operated by the French national agency for radioactive waste management (Andra). On 28 July 2020, ASN authorised the commissioning of Iceda and regulated operation of the facility through requirements relative to the operating range, the maximum storage durations for radioactive waste, the def ining of criteria for activating the On-site Emergency Plan (PUI), the content of the end-of-startup f ile, compliance with waste package qualif ication heights, and the conditions of reception of source rods from Chooz A. The first activated waste package was received in late September 2020. By letter of 5 May 2021, EDF submitted to the Minister responsible for nuclear safety a request to amend the Iceda’s Creation Authorisation Decree (DAC), to allow the acceptance of decommissioning waste from the Fessenheim NPP. The inspections conducted in 2021 in this facility reveal that the periodic inspections and tests and the monitoring of the service providers performing themmust be improved. Inter-Regional Warehouse The Inter-Regional Warehouse (MIR –BNI 102) operated by EDF at Bugey is a storage facility for fresh nuclear fuel intended for the NPP fleet in operation. MIR presented a satisfactory overall level of safety in 2021, a year in which its activities remained restricted to allow the renovation of various items of equipment. ASN noted an increase in the operational monitoring of the activities. Saint-Alban nuclear power plant The Saint-Alban NPP, operated by EDF in the Isère département on the municipalities of Saint‑Alban‑du‑Rhône and Saint‑Maurice‑l’Exil, 40 km south of Lyon, comprises two 1,300 MWe PWRs commissioned in 1986 and 1987. Reactor 1 constitutes BNI 119 and reactor 2 BNI 120. ASN considers that the nuclear safety and radiation protection performance of the Saint-Alban NPP stands out positively with respect to its general assessment of EDF plant performance, and that its environmental protection performance is in line with this general assessment. With regard to nuclear safety, ASN notes that the SaintAlban NPP maintained its good performance in 2021, which is at a higher level than ASN’s general assessment of the EDF plants. The site has made progress in the lockout/tagout and system conf iguring operations in particular. There are still areas for improvement in the monitoring of the work plans issued to workers. With regard to the integrity of the fuel assembly cladding, which constitutes the f irst barrier, ASN notes that accelerated corrosion of some assemblies has been identified on the two reactors and has been subject to special monitoring. Packaging of ILW-LL in C1PGSP packages in Iceda Intermediate-level, long-lived waste (ILW-LL) is activated operational waste from the nuclear reactors and activated waste from the dismantling of certain NPPs. This waste is intended for deep geological disposal in application of Article L. 542‑1‑2 of the Environment Code. The radioactive waste produced during BNI operation and decommissioning phases must be managed safely right through to their transfer to an appropriate disposal facility. Each of these steps must therefore be compatible with the subsequent steps, especially the disposal. Article 6.7 of the Order of 7 February 2012 setting the general rules for BNIs thus stipulates that the packaging of waste intended for radioactive waste disposal facilities currently being studied and provided for in Articles 3 and 4 of the Act of 28 June 2006 and not having acceptance specifications is subject to the approval of ASN. On 23 November 2018 EDF submitted an application file for approval of the packaging of ILW-LL waste in a package model baptised “C1PGSP”. After being sorted, characterised, cut up if necessary, and placed in a basket, the ILW-LL waste is blocked with a “blocking” cementitious slurry, filling the voids in the basket between the pieces of waste and ensuring the mechanical resistance of the block of waste. Once the blocking slurry has set, the baskets are washed and dried, then immobilised in a concrete shell using an “immobilising” slurry. Once the immobilising slurry has set, the packages are capped with concrete of the same formulation as the shell. The package then undergoes inspections and radiological measurements and is transferred to an Iceda storage hall. On completion of the examination of this file, ASN considered that the process envisaged by EDF would allow the production of waste packages that will be able to be stored and then disposed of safely. ASN therefore authorised EDF to package its waste in the C1PGSP package through resolution CODEP‑DRC-2021‑013808 of 19 July 2021. It nevertheless noted that complementary studies were still in progress and decided, in its authorisation, to limit the thermal power released by each package and within each storage hall and to limit the validity of its packaging agreement to 31 December 2023. The extension of this agreement is conditional upon submittal of the abovementioned additional studies no later than 31 December 2022 and the agreement of ASN following their examination. On 6 September 2021, EDF started production of the first packages of decommissioning waste from Chooz A and operational waste from Fessenheim. The first C1PGSP package was thus produced in October 2021 in Iceda and has been stored there. 42 ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2021 REGIONAL OVERVIEWOF NUCLEAR SAFETY AND RADIATION PROTECTION

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