Research and development (R&D) laboratories R&D on new technologies is also carried out for the nuclear industry in laboratories, more particularly with regard to the development of new fuels, their recycling, or the management of ultimate waste. The Alpha facility and laboratory for transuranium elements analysis and reprocessing studies (Atalante – BNI 148), situated in Marcoule and operated by CEA, provides Orano Cycle with technical support for optimising the processes implemented in the La Hague plants. It carries out experimental work to qualify the behaviour of nuclear glass matrices in order to guarantee the long-term confinement properties of high-level waste packages. ASNR checks the implementation of the measures taken further to the last periodic safety review. 1.2.2 – CEA materials storage facilities The materials storage facilities operated by CEA are primarily devoted to the conservation of non-irradiated (or slightly irradiated) uranium and plutonium-bearing fissile materials from other CEA facilities. This enables the laboratories (Atalante, Lefca, etc.) to be supplied according to the needs of their experiments. More recently, they have become a temporary storage solution for the fissile materials which were present in facilities that are now shutdown, such as the research reactors (Éole, Minerve, Osiris, Masurca in particular). The main challenges inherent in these facilities are to prevent the dispersal of radioactive substances and to control the chain reaction (criticality). The Magenta facility (BNI 169), commissioned in 2011 and operated by CEA on its Cadarache site, is dedicated to the storage of nonirradiated fissile material and the non-destructive characterisation of the nuclear materials delivered. It is more particularly replacing the Central Fissile Material Warehouse (MCMF – BNI 53), which was finally shut down at the end of 2017. The examination of the facility’s first periodic safety review continued in 2025. 1.2.3 – Particle accelerators Some particle accelerators are BNIs. These installations use electrical or magnetic fields to accelerate charged particles. The accelerated particle beams produce strong fields of ionising radiation, activating the materials in contact, which then emit ionising radiation even after the beams have stopped. Exposure of the population, the personnel and the environment to ionising radiation is thus the primary risk in this type of facility. The Ganil The Large National Heavy Ion Accelerator (Ganil – BNI 113), located in Caen, carries out fundamental and applied research work, more particularly in atomic physics and nuclear physics. This research facility produces, accelerates and distributes ion beams with various energy levels to study the structure of the atom. After giving a favourable opinion at the end of 2024 on the decree amending the facility’s Creation Authorisation Decree to include a new building to receive beams of charged particles, called “Désir”, ASNR should receive the request to commission the new associated equipment in 2026. CERN The European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) is an international organisation whose role is to carry out purely scientific and fundamental research programmes concerning high-energy particles. On several interconnected sites, CERN operates a whole chain of research devices looking at the structure of matter, which currently includes several linear and circular accelerators, along with several detectors and acquisition systems. Owing to its cross-border location, CERN is subject to particular verifications by the French and Swiss Authorities. 1.3 Miscellaneous industrial facilities 1.3.1 – Industrial ionisation installations Industrial ionisation facilities, called “irradiators”, use the gamma rays emitted by sealed radioactive sources of cobalt-60 to irradiate targets in the irradiation cells. These irradiation cells are designed with particularly thick walls and windows, to protect the operators against the ionising radiation. The sealed sources are either stored in a pool under a layer of water which protects the workers, or are taken out of the storage pool to irradiate the target item. Personnel exposure to ionising radiation is thus the primary risk in these facilities. The main applications of irradiators are to sterilise medical equipment, agri-food products and pharmaceutical raw materials. Irradiators can also be used to study the behaviour of materials under ionising radiation, notably to qualify materials for the nuclear industry. These irradiators are used by: ∙the Ionisos Group, which operates three facilities located in Dagneux (BNI 68), Pouzauges (BNI 146) and Sablé-sur-Sarthe (BNI 154). A new irradiator project (D7) is currently being reviewed for the Dagneux site; ∙the Steris group, which operates the Gammaster (BNI 147) and Gammatec (BNI 170) facilities in Marseille and Marcoule; ∙CEA, which operates the Poséidon irradiator (BNI 77) on the Saclay site. 1.3.2 – Artificial Radionuclides Production Facility The Artificial Radionuclides Production Facility (UPRA), situated in Saclay and operated by CIS bio international, is a nuclear facility designed according to the same principles as a laboratory (special areas for handling and experimenting with radioactive substances, using appropriate means), to develop radionuclides for medical uses. CIS bio international is a subsidiary of the Curium group, a manufacturer of radiopharmaceuticals. In 2025, ASNR decided to make the continued operation of this facility, following its last periodic safety review, subject to compliance with requirements relating in particular to the reduction of the radiological inventory, the control of the risks of dissemination of radioactive materials, the control of fire-related risks, the control of the risks of exposure to ionising radiation, and the radiological consequences for the public in the event of an accident. In particular, ASNR is monitoring the continuation of the actions undertaken by the licensee over several years to reduce the inventories of radioactive substances in the facility. 1.3.3 – Fuel fabrication plants for small modular reactors A number of Small Modular Reactor (SMR) project developers, presented in chapter 9 of this report, aim to develop industrial fuel fabrication capabilities which are needed for the operation of their future reactors. The main risks associated with these fuel fabrication facilities are criticality and the release of radioactive substances. The Jimmy Energy company, whose reactor technology is based on the use of a particular type of fuel, packaged in aspherical form known as “TRISO particles”, is planning to set up a TRISO fuel assembly plant on a site near Le Creusot (71). In this plant, the spherical-shaped TRISO particles, which can have a uranium-235 enrichment level of up to almost 20%, will be received, agglomerated into a cylindrical compacted graphite matrix (these “compacts”, measuring a few centimetres in height, are made up of around 332 ASNR Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2025
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