various existing GPEs, which is intended to be consulted on technical subjects dealing with new innovative SMR projects. The experts appointed to this “GT-RI” (Cross-cutting Group for Innovative Reactors) were thus involved in the summary and closing seminars of the preparatory reviews set up by ASN for the Jimmy Energy, NAAREA and Newcleo projects. This participation enabled them to familiarise themselves with the design and safety approaches adopted by these innovative SMR projects and thus improve their readiness for dealing with queries from ASNR regarding these projects in the context of the forthcoming examinations and reviews. The announced industrial schedules are often unrealistic The development of these new companies is leading to significant time pressure on the projects because of: • competition between the various projects to commission an industrial demonstrator and thus be the first to move to large-scale marketing of their SMR model nationally and internationally; • the financial challenges to development, in particular the balance between raising and consuming capital, pending the commissioning of their first industrial reactor. In this context of time pressure on the projects, one of ASN’s main findings following these discussions in 2024 concerns the frequently unrealistic nature of the deployment schedules announced by many of the project developers. ASN in particular identifies several time-frames related to its safety concerns which all too often tend to be under-evaluated by the project developers: • The time needed for an innovative reactor project to acquire a sufficiently solid base of knowledge for validation of its technological choices, in order to ensure the industrial feasibility and viability of the project, during both the construction and operating phases, and to establish the required safety case in support of a creation authorisation application with all the necessary rigour. • The duration considered for examination of the creation authorisation application for their first reactor; the project developers generally imagine a time-frame for examination of their experimental reactor or their industrial demonstrator shorter than actually set out in the current regulations. Whereas a shorter time-frame such as this could be envisaged for the examination of the subsequent reactors which could benefit from the series effect, it is hard to imagine this for particularly innovative reactors. ASN thus recalls that the dossiers for these SMRs will be examined with the same rigour as any other nuclear installation, in a way that is proportionate to the safety issues and that the examination time-frames will above all depend on the quality and complexity of the safety cases presented to it. ASN also points out that over and above the actual reactor project, the industrial deployment schedules announced sometimes under-estimate the potential critical paths, in particular related to: • the time needed to develop and commission the basic nuclear installations required to produce their specific nuclear fuel; • the time needed for development and approval, when necessary, of any new packaging for the transport of their fuel on the public highway. ♦ Framework of technical exchanges with ASN and IRSN Over the course of 2024, change in the situation of the nine SMR project developers (except for Nuward, which is a project promoted by EDF) NOTABLE EVENTS 2024 ABSTRACTS – ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2024 17 PREPARATORY PHASE REGULATORY PHASE CONCEPTUAL DESIGN BASIC DESIGN DETAILED DESIGN Stellaria NAAREA Newcleo NAAREA (review completed) Newcleo (review completed) Otrera Calogena Calogena Calogena Thorizon Thorizon Jimmy Energy Jimmy Energy Blue Capsule SCREENING PHASE Presentation of the project and the company PREPARATORY REVIEW Thematic review meeting (exchange of information) PRE-LICENSING (safety options) Early assessment ASSESSMENT (application for Creation Authorisation Decree) Assessment/ inspection Hexana
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NjQ0NzU=