Orano has built a retrieval unit above the pit containing the waste and a new building dedicated to the sorting and packaging operations. The licensee validated industrial commissioning of the waste recovery process in 2022, further to the tests carried out in 2020 and 2021. About 50 drums of waste were retrieved in 2023, and the retrieval work in 2024 brought this figure to 200 drums of waste. This means that around one third of the total quantity of waste from phase 1 has been retrieved since operations began in 2020. The increase in the retrieval rate in 2024 is mainly due to the setting up of a maintenance team dedicated to silo 130 and the change, as of November 2023, to teams working three 8-hour shifts a day instead of the initial two 8-hour shifts. However, in 2025, Orano once again encountered breakdowns and reliability problems with the retrieval facilities, leading to a lower-than-expected retrieval rate. By the end of 2025, between 40% and 45% of the total quantity of waste from phase 1 will have been retrieved since the operations began in 2020. ASNR considers that these measures are positive, but the various technical problems observed on the equipment in 2024 confirm the need for Orano to improve the reliability of the waste retrieval facilities. HAO silo and Organised Storage of Hulls (SOC) The Oxide High Activity facility (HAO – BNI 80) carried out the first steps of the spent nuclear fuel reprocessing process: reception, storage then shearing and dissolution. The dissolution solutions produced in BNI 80 were then transferred to the UP2-400 industrial plant in which the subsequent reprocessing operations took place. BNI 80 comprises: • HAO North, spent fuel unloading and storage site; • HAO South, where the shearing and dissolution operations were carried out; • the “filtration” building, which accommodates the filtration system for the HAO South pool; • the HAO silo, in which are stored the hulls and end-pieces (fragments of cladding and fuel end-pieces) in bulk, fines coming primarily from shearing, and resins and technological waste from the operation of the HAO facility between 1976 and 1997; • the SOC, comprising three pools in which the drums containing the hulls and end-pieces are stored. In 2025, the licensee continued the operations prior to retrieval of the waste from the HAO silo and the implementation of the physical modifications defined on completion of the analysis of hard spots identified during the functional tests of the waste retrieval system. Through ASN resolution 2024-DC-0784 of 3 September 2024, the licensee was authorised to commission the unit for retrieving and packaging the waste from the HAO silo and the SOC pools in inerted hull and end-piece waste drums “under water” (ECE). However, the licensee encountered several technical difficulties during the tests and suffered delays in delivery of some of the retrieval equipment, leading it to announce that the project schedule was pushed back by two years. In this context, Orano determined the technical, organisational and human causes, then defined and implemented measures to mitigate the consequences. To this end, ASNR notes the reinforced monitoring and surveillance plan of the supplier concerned in order to better control supply times. At the end of 2025, ASNR also notes that there is still a risk of further delays in the provision of equipment and in the progress of the project. ASNR actions to prevent radon risk Oversight actions In the area of radon risk, the Caen division mainly carried out inspection activities in 2025: • Inspection of an establishment with underground workplaces, in this case the Monts d’Arrée site in Bretagne, whose decommissioning is being monitored by the Caen division. • Inspection of three municipalities concerning the management of public access buildings, particularly schools. These were the towns of Vire-Normandie (14), Ville nouvelle d’Avranches (50) and La Hague (50). The results of these inspections show that, overall, radon risk is being satisfactorily addressed. Only one municipality is behind schedule in carrying out remedial measures in several schools following measurements showing that the reference level has been exceeded. Areas with radon potential in mainland France, and particularly in the Normandie region, are shown on page 99. 86 Rn radon Normandie ABSTRACTS – ASNR Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2025 79
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