ENSURING THE LONG-TERM VIABILITY OF FUEL FACILITIES From the extraction of uranium ore to the reprocessing of spent fuel and the storage of radioactive waste, the industrial fuel chain is made up of numerous nuclear facilities, each of which is often unique. The failure of one link can considerably disrupt this chain. The French Government’s decision to continue the reprocessing policy as part of the new nuclear programme means, on the one hand, undertaking a comprehensive programme to strengthen the resilience of existing plants and extend their operation and, on the other hand, preparing for the renewal of production assets to meet long-term needs. After several years of difficulties, 2025 saw a recovery in production at the Melox plant, France’s only MOX (Mixed OXide Fuel) production plant, which helps manage the risk of saturation of reprocessing plants’ storage pools. Based on current flows, these pools are expected to reach saturation by around 2040, with storage capacity margins remaining limited until the commissioning of the new pools planned at the La Hague site, which will ultimately serve the reprocessing plant as part of Orano’s “Future Back-End” project. The “Future Back-End” project is crucial to the robustness of the French industrial fuel chain. Orano has set up a project organisation with ASNR, to ensure the smooth review of future files, starting with the first safety options dossiers expected from 2026, as well as the design standards that will support them and which need to serve as a reference for the entire programme. At the same time, the examination of the Periodic Safety Reviews, and of operations to refurbish and ensure the longterm future of existing plants – known as the “Continuity – Resilience” project – is ramping up. SECURING HUMAN AND FINANCIAL RESOURCES TO MEET LEGACY LIABILITIES At a time when nuclear power is being “renewed”, attention to older facilities, whether still in operation or shut down, must not waver, particularly during the decommissioning phase. Decommissioning is a lengthy process, and the preparation itself also takes a great deal of time, involving the design of operations that were not considered when the oldest facilities were originally designed, or the definition of solutions to address liabilities identified during site surveys, such as retrieval of waste, contamination or pollution. Ultimately, therefore, decommissioning requires substantial financial means, significant engineering resources, and sometimes heavy equipment. Despite efforts by the licensees concerned to rank and prioritise projects, ASNR observes that, due to insufficient resources, numerous decommissioning projects are delayed. This increases both the associated legacy burden and the risks to the environment and to people, including those responsible for monitoring the shutdown facilities. The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) is currently the most exposed licensee, as its assets include a large proportion of facilities that have been definitively shut down or are being decommissioned. The decommissioning programme, drawn up by CEA and approved by the civil and military safety authorities in 2019, was based on prioritisation according to the source term and the risks posed by the facilities. It has suffered major delays and needs to be thoroughly revised. In this context, it appears necessary to ring-fence the needed financial and human resources to enable it to meet reasonable decommissioning schedules. ASNR expects CEA to submit an updated decommissioning and waste management strategy by 2026, drawing on experience feedback from the difficulties encountered and accompanied by a consolidated schedule. THE ONGOING CIGÉO PROJECT During 2025, ASNR’s departments completed the technical review of the creation authorisation application for the Cigéo deep geological repository for radioactive waste, and concluded the associated cycle of technical dialogue with all of the project stakeholders. ASNR issued its opinion on the Cigéo authorisation application at the end of 2025 and presented it to the French Parliamentary Office for the Evaluation of Scientific and Technological Choices (OPECST). Without disregarding the additional information still to be provided by the French National Radioactive Waste Management Agency (Andra) and the strong expectations of the public, ASNR considered that the preliminary safety case had reached a sufficient level of maturity at this stage of the project, and that the reference inventory used as a basis by Andra constituted a robust foundation for defining the waste inventory authorised for disposal at Cigéo. Finally, ASNR considered that the project’s development schedule appeared realistic in light of the available information. n ABSTRACTS – ASNR Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2025 7
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