LES ACTIVITÉS NUCLÉAIRES : RAYONNEMENTS IONISANTS ET RISQUES POUR LA SANTÉ ET L’ENVIRONNEMENT decommissioning of the complete installation started late 2024 and should be completed by the end of 2041. The decommissioning of this facility is regulated by Decree 2023-898 of 26 September 2023. Decommissioning of the sodium-cooled reactors (Phénix and Superphénix) has met with no major technological obstacles, but specific challenges lie in the control of the fire risk due to the presence of sodium and the safety of its treatment processes. With regard to Phénix, CEA completed the construction of the NOAH facility in 2025, which will initially be used for treatment of the secondary sodium from Phénix. CEA aims to recover the soda produced by this treatment in the nuclear industry. ASNR is reviewing the application for authorisation of active commissioning of the NOAH facility, which is scheduled for 2028. 2.2 Research facilities 2.2.1 – Research laboratories Six research laboratories are currently undergoing decommissioning or preparation for decommissioning. These are the Plutonium technology facility (ATPu – BNI 32), the High Activity Laboratory (LHA – BNI 49) at Saclay, the Enriched Uranium Processing Facility (ATUe – BNI 52) at Cadarache, the Chemical Purification Laboratory (LPC – BNI 54) at Cadarache, the Irradiated Materials Plant (AMI – BNI 94) at Chinon and the “Procédé” Laboratory at Fontenay-auxRoses (BNI 165). These laboratories, which began operating in the 1960s, were dedicated to research to support the development of the nuclear power industry in France. These very old facilities are all confronted with the issue of managing the “legacy” waste, stored on site at a time when the waste management routes had not been put in place, such as intermediatelevel long-lived waste (ILW-LL) and waste without a disposal route (for example, non-incinerable organic oils and liquids and waste containing potentially water-soluble mercury compounds). Moreover, incidents occurred during their operation, contributing to the emission of radioactive substances inside and outside the containment enclosures and to the varying levels of pollution of the structures and soils, which makes the decommissioning and clean-out operations longer and more complex. One of the most important steps in the decommissioning of this type of facility, and which is sometimes rendered difficult due to incomplete archives, therefore consists in inventorying the waste and the radiological status of the facility as accurately as possible in order to define the decommissioning steps and the waste management routes. 2.2.2 – Research reactors By the end of 2025, eight experimental reactors are preparing for or undergoing decommissioning: Rapsodie (sodium-cooled fast neutron reactor), Masurca, Éole and Minerve (critical mock-ups), Phébus (experimental reactor), Osiris-Isis (“pool” type reactor and its critical mock-up) and Orphée (heavy water “pool”-type reactor). The Ulysse teaching reactor was delicensed in 2022. These reactors are characterised by a lower power output (from 100 Wth to 70 MWth) than the nuclear power reactors. When they were designed back in the 1960s to 1980s, the question of their decommissioning was not considered. At the time of decommissioning, these installations usually present a low radiological source term, as one of the first operations after final shutdown consists in removing the spent fuel. One of the main On the basis of the decommissioning file submitted by the licensee, the Minister issues a Decree stipulating the decommissioning operations to be performed on the installation and the duration of decommissioning. ASNR may also impose technical requirements through a resolution in order to regulate the decommissioning operations more closely. Decommissioning concerns all the technical operations carried out with a view to achieving a final state that allows delicensing of the facility. It concerns the electro- mechanical decommissioning and clean-out and remediation of soils and structures. Decommissioning Decree Decommissioning operations Delicensing consists in withdrawing a facility from the list of BNIs, which implies that the facility from this point is no longer subject to the BNI legal and administrative system. Delicensing takes place after completion of the decommissioning operations on the basis of a file presenting the final state of the facility. When necessary, usage restrictions may be introduced if it has not been possible to remove all the pollution. Delicensing resolution RESOLUTION The duty of ASNR stops here DECOMMISSIONING DELICENSING ASNR Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2025 341 11 13 12 A / Z 10 09 08 01 05 02 06 03 07 04
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