The continued operation of the nuclear power plant fleet remains a major subject The provisions of Article L. 593-18 of the Environment Code stipulate that ASNR shall issue a position statement on the continued operation of the nuclear facilities every ten years, following their periodic safety review. The fourth periodic safety review of the 900 MWe reactors (RP4 900), is continuing reactor by reactor, in order to significantly improve the level of safety. In 2024, ASN issued a position statement on the guidelines to be followed for the fifth periodic safety review of these reactors, which will enable the conditions to be defined for their continued operation beyond 50 years, while maintaining the same safety objectives. EDF intends to focus the fifth periodic safety review on the one hand on verifying the conformity of the installations, maintaining equipment qualification and management of ageing. On the other hand, it will focus on reassessing the management of risks and detrimental effects, taking account of the effects of climate change. ASN considered that the general guidelines adopted by EDF are pertinent and consistent with the current level of knowledge. With regard to the fourth periodic safety review of the 1,300 MWe reactors (RP4 1,300), ASN’s examination of the main generic safety issues continued in 2024 with the support of IRSN. At the same time, in the opinion of the guarantors of the consultation appointed by the High Committee for Transparency and Information on Nuclear Safety (HCTISN), the public consultation on the conditions for improving the safety of the 1,300 MWe reactors as part of their fourth periodic safety review, conducted under the aegis of the HCTISN with the participation of EDF, IRSN, the National Association of Local Information Committees and Commissions (Anccli) and ASN, was able “to publicly and successfully tackle essential questions concerning society as a whole, over and above the ongoing regulatory authorisation procedure”. The examination was conducted efficiently thanks to the reutilisation of the governance processes put into place for examination of the fourth periodic safety review of the 900 MWe reactors with EDF and IRSN, while also making full use of Operating Experience Feedback (OEF). This result, along with the division of future modifications into batches, and the continuity of the objectives with the fourth periodic safety review of the 900 MWe reactors, aims to allow standardised deployment of the safety modifications on the 1,300 MWe reactors as of the first reactors concerned, while giving priority to the high-stakes modifications, starting in 2026. A strategy to examine the service life extension of the reactors is deployed on the occasion of the fourth and fifth periodic safety reviews and in anticipation of the possible continued operation beyond then. This strategy enabled these examinations to be industrialised. The launch of studies into the long-term future and upgrading of the fuel plants is a positive point with respect to the aim of balancing the “cycle”. With the up-turn in the construction of new reactors and new fuel plants, highly active innovation in the medical sector, or Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), as well as new prospects for service life duration, the nuclear safety and radiation protection stakeholders must meet new challenges: acquisition of new knowledge, dissemination of the safety and radiation protection culture to all the stakeholders, including in the subcontracting chain, mobilisation of resources and skills on behalf of nuclear safety and radiation protection, at a time of extreme competition for resources. ASN, and now ASNR, are adapting to this new context. After the passage of Act 2024-450 of 21 May 2024 ratifying the merger of the Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) with the Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), the collective preparation work enabled ASNR to be immediately operational on 1 January 2025, with respect to all of its missions. ASNR covers research, expert assessment, examination and oversight, and comprises a full range of disciplines and skills ranging from the acquisition of knowledge, to decision-making and regulation/oversight. It is more independent, more robust and more visible, in France and internationally. The coming months will enable its organisation to be consolidated, enable ASNR to establish itself within its ecosystem, and gradually build an integrated strategy for research, expert assessment, oversight and transparency, and dialogue with society. Editorial by the Commission ABSTRACTS – ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2024 3
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