be maintained regarding road contamination and proper completion of the prior exposure evaluations. With regard to environmental protection, ASN conducted a tightened inspection on the site which revealed improvements in this area, and more specifically in control of the risk of hazardous substance run-off into the environment. Nevertheless, the site is not yet completely up to the required standards, particularly in the management of effluent discharges into the stormwater tank. With regard to labour inspection, the results concerning occupational safety are stable compared with 2023. However an accident occurred during the use of a machine tool. ASN has asked the licensee to remedy the risk situations observed in traffic movements and the risk of collisions between pedestrians and machines. Efforts must still be made to ensure better control of work situations involving a risk of falling from height. ASN also considers that the relevance of the risk analyses must be improved. Lastly, the Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ASNR) will be vigilant regarding in ensuring that installations maintain long-term compliance with the Labour Code requirements. Marcoule platform The Marcoule nuclear platform is situated to the west of Orange in the Gard département. Its six civil installations are dedicated to research activities relating to the back-end of the “fuel cycle” and the irradiation of materials, and to industrial activities concerning in particular the fabrication of MOX (Mixed OXides) fuel, the processing of radioactive waste and the irradiation of materials. The majority of the site moreover consists of the Defence Basic Nuclear Installation (DBNI) under the oversight of the Ministry responsible for defence. CEA MARCOULE CENTRE Created in 1955, the CEA Marcoule centre accommodates three civil installations: the Atalante laboratories (BNI 148), the Phénix NPP (BNI 71) and the Diadem storage facility (BNI 177). Atalante facility – CEA CENTRE The main purpose of the Alpha facilities and laboratories for transuranium elements analysis and reprocessing studies (Atalante – BNI 148), created in the 1980’s, is to conduct research and development in the recycling of nuclear fuels, the management of ultimate waste, and the exploration of new concepts for fourth generation nuclear systems. In order to extend these research activities, activities and equipment from the Laboratory for research and fabrication of advanced nuclear fuels (Lefca – BNI 123), were transferred here from the CEA Cadarache centre in 2017. ASN published resolution 2022-DC-0720 of 19 April 2022 imposing on the Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) the requirements applicable to Atalante and designed to regulate the continued operation of the BNI. This resolution more specifically sets the deadline of 31 December 2035 for treating the Radioactive Organic Liquid Waste (ROLW) stored in the facility. Pending removal of this waste, CEA must take measures to ensure that the ROLW storage drums do not corrode and that it has sampling capabilities in order to monitor the physical-chemical quality of the ROLW. In that same resolution, ASN prescribes the implementation of a system for detecting and automatically cutting off the BNI’s water and electricity supplies in the event of an earthquake. The commissioning of this system was authorised in 2023. The deadline for effective commissioning of the system, set by the ASN prescription, was amended by resolution 2024-DC-0785 of 11 September 2024, pushing it back from end of December 2024 to end of August 2027. ASNR remains attentive to the tracking of the ongoing actions. CEA submitted the Safety review guidance file (DOR) for its next periodic safety review, for which the concluding report is expected in December 2026. Two significant events linked to prevention of the criticality risk and rated level 1 on the INES scale were notified by CEA in 2024. These events concerned a lack of preparation during fissile material transfers within the Atalante laboratories. CEA examined the causes of these events, which were essentially linked to human and organisational factors, and defined an action plan to correct the observed deviations in the short term and, in the longer term, to improve the prevention of criticality risks. These elements have been communicated to the other CEA BNIs concerned by criticality risks. ASNR will remain attentive to the licensee’s implementation of the long-term measures of its action plan, aiming to reinforce the prevention of criticality risks. ASN considers that the level of nuclear safety of Atalante is only relatively satisfactory, on account of the significant events relating to prevention of the criticality risk. However, the measures taken to monitor outside contractors and to track deviations and periodic inspections and tests are satisfactory on the whole. With regard to nuclear waste management in the facility, ASN expects the licensee to take measures to improve compliance with the waste storage time limits, which are defined in the Atalante baseline safety requirements. 84 ABSTRACTS – ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2024 Regional overview of nuclear safety and radiation protection OCCITANIE
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