Key Benefits:
The Nuclear Safety Authority, having examined, pursuant toArticle 29 of Act No. 2006-686 of 13 June 2006 On transparency and security in nuclear matters, the draft decree authorizing AREVA NC to carry out the final shutdown and dismantling operations of the basic nuclear facility No. 80 called the "High Oxide Activity" workshop and located on the centre of La Hague (High Oxide Department), gives a favourable opinion to this draft decree in its writing annexed to this notice.
If this decree is signed and published in the Official Journal, the Nuclear Safety Authority will review, as part of the authorizations it will be required to give under Article 2 of the decree, the modalities for the recovery and packaging of waste stored in the organized storage of shells (SOC) and in the HAO silo.
In addition, the Nuclear Safety Authority will pay particular attention to the content of the file that will be handed over by AREVA on the methodology and objectives for the remediation of the civil engineering of the facility, in accordance with Article 2 of the decree, and will verify that this methodology and objectives are consistent with the final state of AREVA as part of the instruction of the decree, i.e., the reuse of the buildings for industrial purposes without constraint or their monitoring.
Done in Paris, April 21, 2009.
The College of the Nuclear Safety Authority,
A.-C. LacosteM. BourguignonM. Sanson
A N N E X E
DRAFT DECRET AGAINST THE OBJECT OF THE FAVORABLE AVIS OF THE AUTHORITY OF NUCLEARS BY THE ADVIS N° 2009-AV-0071 OF THE 21st APRIL 2009 ON THE DRAFT DECRANDING AREVA NCE TO PROCEDURES FOR MISE TO THE DEFINAL N° 80 DENOMÉE ATELIER "HAUTE ACTIVITY OXYDE" (HAO) ET SITUÉE SUR LE CENTRE DE LA HAGUE (DÉPARTEMENT DE LA MANCHE)
The Prime Minister,
On the report of the Minister of State, Minister of Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development and Land Management, and the Minister of Economy, Industry and Employment,
Considering the environmental code, including title I and title IV of book V;
Considering the Public Health Code, including Chapter III of Book III Title III;
Considering the Labour Code, including title III of Book II;
Considering Act No. 2006-686 of 13 June 2006 on transparency and security in nuclear matters;
Having regard to Act No. 2006-739 of 28 June 2006 on the sustainable management of radioactive materials and wastes;
In view of Decree No. 2007-1557 of 2 November 2007 on basic nuclear facilities and the nuclear safety control of the transport of radioactive substances;
Considering the decision of 10 August 1984 on the quality of the design, construction and operation of basic nuclear facilities;
Considering the amended decision of 31 December 1999 setting out general technical regulations to prevent and limit the external nuisances and risks resulting from the operation of basic nuclear facilities;
In view of the decree of 17 January 1974 authorizing the Office of the Atomic Energy Commissioner to amend the irradiated fuel processing plant in the centre of La Hague;
In view of the decree of 9 August 1978 authorizing the General Nuclear Material Company to operate certain basic nuclear facilities previously operated by the Office of the Commissioner for Atomic Energy;
In view of Decree No. 2003-31 of 10 January 2003 authorizing the General Society of Nuclear Material to modify the scope of the basic nuclear facilities of the La Hague site;
Having regard to the amended decision of 10 January 2003 authorizing the General Nuclear Material Company to continue the collection of water and discharge of liquid and gaseous effluent for the operation of the La Hague nuclear site;
Considering the application filed on 14 February 2008 by AREVA NC and the file attached to this application;
Based on the results of the public inquiry that took place from 27 October 2008 to 26 November 2008;
Considering the opinion of the Advisory Commission on Basic Nuclear Facilities at its session on 16 March 2009;
Considering the opinion of the Nuclear Safety Authority of 21 April 2009,
Decrete:
Article 1
I. ― In its capacity as operator of the workshop "High Oxide Activity", base nuclear facility No. 80 located on the AREVA NC site in La Hague in the department of the Channel, below referred to as "installation", AREVA NC is authorized to carry out the operations of final shutdown and dismantling of this facility, under the conditions defined by the above-mentioned application and the file attached to this request and under the conditions provided for by the decree.
II. ― The facility includes all buildings and equipment located within the perimeter of the facility, in accordance with the aforementioned decree of 10 January 2003, grouped in 5 workshops:
– the workshop called "HAO/Nord", consisting of building No. 1080;
- the workshop called "HAO/South", consisting of building No. 1082;
― the "Filtration Building", constituted by Building No. 1085;
- the "HAO silo" consisting of building No. 1081;
– the organized storage of the hulls, says "SOC", consisting of buildings no. 1021, 1023 and 1220.
III. ― After dismantling the facility, the intended final state is a land with buildings that can be used for industrial purposes.
Article 2
I. ― The stages of dismantling
For each workshop, the operations authorized by this decree are divided into three stages.
I-1. Step 1
Step 1:
the bulk of the dismantling operations of the HAO/South workshop is carried out; at the end of step 1, apart from the 903 and 904 cells, all HAO/South premises and cells are empty, civil engineering remediation operations were carried out there;
- the preparation and implementation of HAO silo waste recovery and packaging operations; at the end of step 1 and no later than 2022, all HAO silo wastes were evacuated;
– SOC is maintained under surveillance;
―work to improve the behavior of the Filtration Building in the event of earthquakes are carried out;
- in the HAO/Nord workshop, the following operations are carried out:
- the reception, unloading and transfer of fuel elements from test and research reactors;
- preparation for the treatment of fuels from testing and research reactors;
- preparation for the treatment of irradiated fuels;
― the disposing of MOX-type non-irradiated fuels to allow their treatment at the facilities in the centre of La Hague.
By December 31, 2015, the HAO/Nord workshop pools no longer contain irradiated or unirradiated fuels. These pools are maintained in water and can contain empty or filled fuel baskets of metal parts to dismantle or condition.
I-2. Step 2
During this stage, the following steps are made:
– the dismantling operations of the HAO/Nord workshop;
– the dismantling and remediation of HAO/South 903 and 904 cells;
– SOC waste recovery and packaging operations.
At the end of step 2:
― the cells and premises of the HAO/Nord workshop are empty, civil engineering remediation operations have been carried out; empty and assainis baskets are stored in the swimming pool 901;
– the 903 and 904 cells of the HAO/South workshop are empty, civil engineering remediation operations have been carried out;
– SOC swimming pools are completely empty, their vat is assaini.
I-3. Step 3
During this stage, the following steps are taken:
― HAO silo dismantling operations;
– SOC dismantling operations;
― the dismantling operations of the Filtration Building.
At the end of step 3:
– concrete from the bottom of the HAO silo and the vatling are removed; the premises of the HAO silo are empty, civil engineering remediation operations have been carried out;
– the cells and premises of the SOC and the Filtration Building are empty, civil engineering remediation operations have been carried out.
II. ― Stop points
The undertaking of each of the following operations shall be subject to authorization by the Nuclear Safety Authority:
- the recovery and packaging of waste from SOC;
- the recovery and packaging of HAO silo waste;
– the dismantling of HAO/South 904 and 906 cells;
– the dismantling of the HAO/Nord workshop and the SOC as well as the HAO silo and the Filtration building.
In support of its applications for authorization, the operator shall provide the Nuclear Safety Authority with a record of the analysis of the safety of the planned operations.
III. ― The duration of dismantling operations
All works leading to the intended final state after dismantling of the facility, as described in Article 1 III, are completed by December 31, 2033.
IV. ― Civil engineering remediation operations
The civil engineering remediation operations of the various premises of the facility are the subject of a dossier presenting the methodology and objectives used for this remediation, transmitted to the Nuclear Safety Authority three months before undertaking operations. At the end of the three-month period and without observation by the Nuclear Safety Authority, the work can begin.
Within six months of the completion of the installation's civil engineering remediation operations, the operator shall submit to the Nuclear Safety Authority a file containing:
– the return of experience of these operations, including highlights, incidents, difficulties encountered and the record of waste produced;
― the elements showing the realization of the remediation sought in the radiological state.
Article 3
I. ― Containing radioactive or toxic substances
The containment of radioactive or toxic substances is designed and realized so that any event leading to their involuntary release within the facility or in its environment is prevented. This containment takes into account the physico-chemical form of these substances.
In parts of the facility where the risk of release of radioactive substances exists, ventilation devices maintain, in relation to atmospheric pressure, a depression adapted to the prevention of any involuntary release event. When these parties communicate with each other, ventilation devices allow the establishment of a depression cascade sufficient to prevent the diffusion of radioactive substances from the parties with the highest risk of release to those with the lowest risk of release.
The containment of radioactive substances is ensured within areas accessible to personnel by passive or active systems. A device allows rapid detection and reporting of incidents or accidents resulting from containment failure. As appropriate, complementary systems or provisions ensure the protection of personnel and prevent the release of these substances outside the facility.
Air from the disaggregated parts of the facility that present a risk of radioactivity dissemination is filtered and controlled at the outlet points outside through appropriate devices whose monitoring provisions are specified prior to their implementation.
As required, construction areas as close to operations are equipped with a specific ventilation system. The associated monitoring provisions are specified in the general monitoring and maintenance rules referred to in the III of this section.
II. ― Protection of installation against risks of internal origin or induced by its environment
II-1. Prevention of criticality risk
The facility is operated to avoid any critical excursion, including the continuous management of the fissile material in the facility.
Storage, processing operations (characterization and intervention on packaging or materials themselves) and the transfer of fissile material are prepared and carried out to prevent the risk of criticality. The limitations of specific parameters for the prevention of criticality risk are established, including the quantities of fissile material and the geometry of equipment in which they are implemented.
Appropriate guidelines, including the management of fissile material, are developed for each work area.
II-2. Fire protection
Arrangements are made to reduce the risk of internal fire at the facility, to allow the rapid detection of fire departures and the alert, to prevent the extension of fires and ensure their extinction.
The evacuation paths are defined and clear. Their locations must have been brought to the attention of all personnel present in the facility. Security exercises are regularly organized, at least annually, and the records of these exercises are made available to nuclear safety inspectors.
II-3. Protection from environmental attacks
Arrangements are being made to ensure sufficient containment of radioactive substances, taking into account all plausible circumstances that may result from the normal or accidental operation of neighbouring facilities or from transport to the vicinity of the facility, including dynamic effects and projectiles that may reach the facility.
Arrangements are also made to maintain the installation in a safe state in the event of flooding or extreme weather conditions.
Arrangements are made to limit possible interactions, in the event of earthquake, between the buildings of the facility and those of the neighbouring facilities.
The operator shall be informed of any project resulting in a modification of the facility's environment in relation to the description of the file attached to the application for authorization to carry out the above-mentioned termination and dismantling operations and having or may have consequences for compliance with the provisions of this Order. It informs the Nuclear Safety Authority of these projects without delay and specifies the consequences identified in the light of the expected normal and accidental situations.
III. ― Operation of the facility
III-1. General rules for monitoring and maintenance
The operator establishes general rules that specify the procedures for monitoring and maintenance of the facility in a normal and incidental or accidental situation. These rules specify, as appropriate, the nature and modalities of periodic inspections and the maintenance of equipment.
Important safety alarms are deferred to premises where a permanence is provided. In the installation and known locations of intervention services, detailed information is used to locate the detected event and to act effectively.
Personnel assigned to final shutdown and dismantling operations have the required professional skills and training in nuclear safety and radiation protection.
III-2. Handling provisions
The operations carried out in the facility are conducted in such a way as to reduce the risk of falling loads and to limit their consequences.
III-3. Provisions concerning transport
Packages containing radioactive material being transported on the public track are subject to the control of the absence of contamination and the control of the dose flow at their reception on the La Hague site and before their shipment outside the site.
With respect to transfers between the basic nuclear facilities of the La Hague site, AREVA NC's procedures in force on this site apply.
III-4. Obligations prior to final shutdown and dismantling operations
In accordance with the principles of radiation protection provided for in the Public Health Code, prior to the opening of a construction site for final shut-off and dismantling operations, the operator:
- defines the scopes of operations, the conditions for the movement of personnel, equipment and wastes, as well as the measures taken to avoid possible transfers of radioactive contamination from the construction site to areas outside the construction site;
― prepares the procedures and operating procedures for the construction site and the corresponding safety and radiation protection analyses and associated instructions.
IV. ― Liquid and gaseous effluents and wastes
IV-1. Liquid and gaseous effluents
The facility is operated in such a way as to minimize, under acceptable economic conditions, the amount of water taken from the natural environment and the discharge of liquid and gaseous effluents. The terms and conditions for the management of liquid and gaseous effluents and the characteristics and provisions relating to their release are governed by the above-mentioned decision of 8 January 2007, which may be amended by decisions of the Nuclear Safety Authority in accordance with Article 69 of the aforementioned decree of 2 November 2007.
The operator has the means to carry out environmental controls, particularly in relation to the risk of release of radioactive or toxic substances present in the facility.
IV-2. Waste management
Wastes resulting from final shutdown and dismantling operations are sorted by nature and by chemical or radioactive nuisance category to facilitate their treatment, reuse or recycling, packaging and subsequent storage in authorized centres.
The operator shall take all appropriate measures to minimize, under acceptable economic conditions, on the one hand, the volume of waste produced during the final shut-off and dismantling operations, and on the other hand, the volume of waste that is temporarily stored in the facility pending disposal.
The operator assumes responsibility for the waste resulting from the final shutdown and dismantling of the facility. It monitors the waste from production to final disposal in authorized facilities using documents that ensure conservation and archiving.
The inventory of waste produced is kept up-to-date as the dismantling operations progress, particularly with respect to the quantities produced, the radiological characteristics and the origin of the waste.
No permanent storage of radioactive waste is permitted within the facility's perimeter.
Article 4
This Order is authorized for the detention and use of radioactive sources and ionizing devices required for the operation of the facility under the conditions and limits specified by the requirements of the Nuclear Safety Authority.
Article 5
The operator shall forward to the Nuclear Safety Authority the file corresponding to the first security review within ten years of the publication of this decree to the Official Journal of the French Republic.
Article 6
After the completion of the operations under step 3 referred to in I-3 of section 2 above, the operator shall apply to the Nuclear Safety Authority for decommissioning in accordance with section 40 of the above-mentioned decree of 2 November 2007.
The operator attached to the decommissioning application file transmitted to the Nuclear Safety Authority a document specifying:
― any monitoring and management provisions that may be considered by the operator in order to avoid unjustified doses in the context of the reuse of buildings after decommissioning, based on an impact study that includes the post-remediation radiological condition;
― any monitoring and management provisions that may be considered by the operator to ensure the protection of the public and the environment in the context of the reuse of the facility's land after its decommissioning, based on an impact study that includes the radiological and chemical state of the soil and groundwater.
The installation is then removed from the list of basic nuclear facilities in accordance with Article 40 of the above-mentioned Decree of 2 November 2007.
Article 7
In the light of the documents referred to in Article 40 of the above-mentioned Decree of 2 November 2007 and in the second paragraph of Article 6, the Nuclear Safety Authority shall, where appropriate, establish the types of operations to be carried out by the operator after the dismantling, including monitoring and management arrangements to ensure the protection of the public and the environment.
Article 8
The provisions of the amended Decree of 17 January 1974 authorizing the Office of the Atomic Energy Commissioner to amend the irradiated fuel processing plant in the centre of La Hague are repealed, with the exception of the first paragraph of Article 1.
Article 9
The Minister of State, Minister of Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development and Land Management, and the Minister of Economy, Industry and Employment are responsible, each with respect to him, for the execution of this decree, which will be published in the Official Journal of the French Republic.
