Since the shutdown of the Osiris and Isis reactors and pending decommissioning of the facility, the removal of radioactive and hazardous materials and the decommissioning preparation operations are underway, with an organisation adapted to the new state of the facility. More specifically, the last of the irradiated core fuel stored in the facility was removed in 2021. ASN considers that the level of safety of BNI 40 is satisfactory, particularly with regard to control of external hazards and the management of liquid discharges. Improvements are however required in waste management. The organisation put in place to keep track of the Decommissioning Preparation Operations (DECPROs) is appropriate for the current status of the facility, despite the postponement of operations due to a lack of means. The commitments made to ASN are tracked with rigour and the progress on the whole is in conformity with the set time frames. The Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ASNR) will focus its attention in 2025 on the licensee’s control of the DECPROs, in particular compliance with the critical path to achieve the initial state described in the decommissioning file. It will also be attentive to the measures implemented by CEA to upgrade the waste storage areas in the facility and to the studies and works aiming to reduce the facility’s water consumption. Orphée reactor The Orphée reactor (BNI 101), a neutron source reactor, was a pool-type research reactor with a licensed power of 14 MWth. The highly compact core is located in a tank of heavy water acting as moderator. Creation of the reactor was authorised by the Decree of 8 March 1978 and its first divergence took place in 1980. It was used for conducting experiments in areas such as physics, biology and physical chemistry. The reactor allowed the introduction of samples to be irradiated for the production of radionuclides or special materials, and to perform non-destructive tests on certain components. The Orphée reactor, which was definitively shut down at the end of 2019, is now in DECPRO phase. The licensee submitted its decommissioning file in March 2020. The last irradiated fuel from the Orphée reactor was removed in 2020, greatly reducing the radiological risk of the facility. The continuation of the DECPROs and the facility decommissioning scenario were discussed following the CEA’s re-prioritising of the DECPROs, resulting in the updating of the decommissioning strategy for BNI 101. A new decommissioning file was submitted at the end of 2023 and it is currently being examined. Based on the facility inspections and monitoring carried out in 2024, ASN considers that the level of safety of the Orphée reactor is on the whole satisfactory. However, some points of vigilance require particular attention, particularly with regard to Human and Organisational Factors (HOFs) and the updating of baseline requirement documents. Furthermore, despite progress in the sorting of the equipment dedicated to the researchers, improvements are required in waste management. Clarifications are also expected concerning the actions associated with the periodic safety review, notably their incorporation in an action plan, a precise explanation of their objectives and proof of their completion. Since the shutdown of the reactor, the DECPRO phase has started, but is subject to recurrent schedule push-backs. It is subject to close scrutiny by ASN, particularly regarding the suitability of the organization and the personnel’s competence to manage new activities while maintaining the level of safety of the facility and controlling the schedules of the associated activities. The installations and activities to regulate comprise: • Basic Nuclear Installations regulated by the Orléans division: • the CEA Saclay site of the CEA Paris‑Saclay centre, • the UPRA (Artificial Radionuclide Production Plant) operated by CIS bio international in Saclay, • the CEA Fontenay‑aux‑Roses site of the CEA Paris‑Saclay centre; • small-scale nuclear activities in the medical sector regulated by the Paris division: • 26 external-beam radiotherapy departments, • 12 brachytherapy departments, • 43 in vivo nuclear medicine departments and 12 in vitro (medical biology) nuclear medicine departments, • 150 centres practising fluoroscopy-guided interventional procedures; • small-scale nuclear activities in the industrial, veterinary and research sectors under the oversight of the Paris division: • 9 industrial radiology companies using gamma radiography devices, • about 143 authorisations and 42 registrations relative to research activities; • activities associated with the transport of radioactive substances; • ASN-approved laboratories and organisations: • 3 organisations approved for radiation protection controls.. Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 ABSTRACTS – ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2024 65 Regional overview of nuclear safety and radiation protection ÎLE-DE-FRANCE
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