Link to the study - European Parliament - Europa

Nuclear Decommissioning: Management of Costs and Risks
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The commercial nuclear energy industry (EDF, AREVA and others).
In 2006, the newly established Nuclear Safety Authority ('Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire – ASN'), an
independent regulatory body with five commissioners – became the regulatory authority responsible
for nuclear safety and radiological protection, including decommissioning activities.
Currently, there are 58 operating nuclear power reactors operated by 'Electricité de France (EDF)'. The
majority of the 12 reactors in the shutdown stage are also owned by EDF.
EDF had previously favored a deferred decommissioning strategy with a very long period of safe
enclosure in the late 1980s (Brenk 2006). It was planned that the shutdown would be followed by a
safe enclosure period of 50 years. During this period, the facility would have been understood as a
storage unit of the equipment left in place and kept under surveillance. The advantage of this
concept was stated to be taking benefit from the Co 60 decay (see also chapter 2.2).
In 1996, the former Nuclear Installations Safety Authority - 'Direction Générale de la Sûreté Nucléaire et
de la Radioprotection (DGSNR)' - requested CEA to commission a joint study with EDF assessing the
possibility to shorten the planned 50 years delay for total dismantling to find a better balance
between the benefits and the drawbacks of delaying the dismantling phase. In 1999, CEA and EDF
informed the authorities about the plan to prefer the immediate decommissioning. In April 2001, EDF
took the decision to implement the immediate decommissioning strategy (Brenk 2006).
EDF
EDF operates 58 nuclear reactors at 19 sites in France. Additionally 9 reactors of the following types
are currently under decommissioning by EDF:
1 pressurized water reactor (PWR),
1 heavy water reactor (HWR),
6 gas cooled and graphite moderated reactors (GCR), and
1 fast breeder reactor (FBR).
For all these facilities EDF developed an overall decommissioning strategy called 'decon' for total and
'immediate' dismantling. The decommissioning is seen as a technical and industrial challenge that
requires an optimal time and project management. It is planned that the 9 reactors shall be
decommissioned in two 'tow waves' (Brenk 2006, Laurent 2011):
Within the first wave, the total dismantling of the reactors at Brennilis is planned until around
2015, the dismantling of the Creys-Malville and Bugey 1 reactors for around 2025, and Chooz A
before 2015/2020.
Within the second wave, the 5 remaining gas cooled reactors Chinon A1-3 and Saint-Laurent A1-
2 shall be dismantled.
The 'first wave' of the decommissioning already started in 2008 with Chooz A, being the only PWR
reactor in that set. The experiences with the dismantling are seen as an important feedback source for
the further decommissioning projects of reactors of that type. For the remaining 5 gas cooled
reactors, a different decommissioning strategy was developed because of their specific technical and
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