ASN Guide No. 6

Final shutdown, decommissioning and delicensing of basic nuclear installations in France

At the end of their operation cycle, basic nuclear installations (BNIs) are shut down and undergo a decommissioning process, with the end objective being delicensing of the site and release of the land for other activities.  The term decommissioning generally covers all of the activities carried out after shutdown that are performed in order to achieve a pre-defined end state.  These activities include cleaning and dismantling of equipment and structures, remediation of the grounds and disposal of all waste. This guides outlines the decommissioning process.