A particularly large volume of modifications will be carried out on the reactors within the framework of the fourth periodic safety review. Given the scale of these modifications, it is not advisable to implement all of them during the ten-yearly outages. Consequently, EDF submitted a request to ASN in 2023, asking if it could implement the modifications in two phases. ASN agreed on condition that the modifications with the greatest safety implications would be carried out during the ten-yearly outages. The other modifications will be carried out no later than six years after the ten-yearly outages. INVOLVEMENT OF the public The safety objectives for the new-generation reactors, such as the EPR reactor at Flamanville, have been used as a benchmark for the continued operation of the 1,300 MWe reactors beyond 40 years. The fourth periodic safety review will therefore bring the safety level of the 1,300 MWe reactors closer in line with that of the thirdgeneration reactors. The periodic safety review will enable the radiological consequences of accidents to be reduced, for example. In particular, EDF plans to reinforce the electric power and cooling water sources, and to boost the protection of the reactors against extreme hazards. As part of the periodic safety review, EDF will also implement safety improvements which are directly inspired by the new-generation reactors such as the function for stabilising and cooling the corium inside the reactor containment. However, at the end of the periodic safety review, there will still be disparities between the safety level of the EPR reactor and that of the 1,300 MWe reactors. This is due to design differences that are difficult to change, such as the more favourable layout of the different buildings of an EPR reactor, the protection of its spent fuel pool building, and the number of safety systems for dealing with an accident in an EPR. Following their fourth periodic safety review, will the 1,300 MWe reactors be as safe as the newgeneration reactors? Why aren’t the modifications identified by ASNR in its decision implemented in one go during the ten-yearly outage inspections? 32 • Les cahiers de l’ASNR • July 2025
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