Bugey site The Bugey industrial site comprises various facilities, including the Bugey NPP operated by EDF on the municipality of Saint-Vulbas in the Ain département, 35 km east of Lyon. It comprises four Pressurised Water Reactors (PWRs), each with a power of 900 Megawatts electric (MWe), commissioned in 1978 and 1979. Reactors 2 and 3 constitute BNI 78 and reactors 4 and 5 constitute BNI 89. The site also accommodates Bugey 1, a graphite-moderated Gas-Cooled Reactor (GCR) commissioned in 1972, shut down in 1994 and currently undergoing decommissioning, the Activated waste conditioning and interim storage facility (Iceda) and the Inter-Regional Warehouse (MIR) for fuel storage. Lastly, the site accommodates one of the regional bases of the Nuclear Rapid Intervention Force (FARN), the special emergency response force created by EDF in 2011 following the Fukushima Daiichi NPP accident in Japan. Its role is to intervene in pre-accident or accident situations, on any NPP in France, by providing additional human resources and emergency equipment. Bugey nuclear power plant Reactors 2, 3, 4 and 5 in operation ASNR considers that the performance of the Bugey NPP with regard to nuclear safety, radiation protection and environmental protection is in line with ASNR’s general assessment of the EDF plants. In terms of nuclear safety, ASNR notes that the facilities have been operated and maintained in a fairly satisfactory manner. However, the layout of circuits and the performance of facilities remain areas where weak points exist and where improvements are expected. Periodic tests and requalification tests have been the subject of EDF improvement plans since 2023, which have shown some initial results but which must be continued. In addition, ASNR notes that progress has been made in fire risk management, particularly with regard to the situational exercises carried out and the management of events that took place during 2025. With regard to equipment maintenance, control of activities carried out during reactor outages is considered to be improving. In terms of radiation protection, ASNR considers that the NPP’s performance has improved. Although occupational exposure is under control, ASNR still notes events linked to failure to wear personal dosimeters in controlled radiological areas. With regard to environmental protection, ASNR considers that the plant’s performance is also improving. The recurring problems of leaky retaining tanks, which in 2023 and 2024 led to uncontrolled discharges that did not harm the environment, have led to corrective measures that are still being implemented. These actions were the subject of specific inspections by ASNR, which verified their progress. In terms of occupational health and safety, ASNR considers that the site’s results are satisfactory in a context of reduced industrial activity. Appropriate measures were put in place reactively to take account of the accident levels during the year. However, ASNR is concerned about the risks associated with system tagouts. Auvergne‑Rhône‑Alpes The Lyon division regulates nuclear safety, radiation protection and the transport of radioactive substances in the 12 départements of the Auvergne‑Rhône‑Alpes region. ASNR conducted 369 inspections in the Auvergne‑Rhône‑Alpes region in 2025, of which 131 were in the Bugey, Saint‑Alban, Cruas‑Meysse and Tricastin Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs), 98 in plants, research facilities and sites being decommissioned, 107 in smallscale nuclear activities, 18 in the Radioactive Substance Transport (RST) sector, and 15 in organisations and laboratories approved by ASNR. ASNR also carried out 27 days of labour inspections in the four NPPs and in the Creys‑Malville site. In 2025, 27 significant events rated level 1 on the International Nuclear and Radiological Events Scale (INES scale) were reported to ASNR, of which 24 occurred in Basic Nuclear Installations (BNIs), two in small-scale nuclear activities and one in the area of RST. In addition, 3 events relating to anomalies during the treatment of patients by radiotherapy were classified as level 2 on the ASN‑SFRO scale (specific scale for radiation protection events affecting patients as part of a radiotherapy procedure). 369 inspections 27 significant events on a level greater than or equal to 1 on the INES scale 3 significant events of level 2 or higher on the ASN-SFRO scale 38 ABSTRACTS – ASNR Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2025
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