An international team of nuclear safety experts led by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) today completed an assessment of operational safety at Flamanville 1&2 in France. It appears that the review did not include unit 3, under construction.

The Operational Safety Review Team (OSART) was assembled at the request of the French Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority (ASN). The in-depth review, which began 6 October, focused on aspects essential to safe operation of the plant’s 1 and 2 reactors.

The review covered management, organization and administration; training and qualification; operations; maintenance; technical support; operating experience; radiation protection; chemistry; emergency planning and preparedness, and severe accident management. The conclusions of OSART reviews are based on the IAEA’s Safety Standards.

The team identified a number of good practices at the plant including:

  • A strong management system;
  • A staff skills mapping tool to ensure effective management of staff competence; and
  • A display screen in the main control room showing the status of plant safety operational limits and conditions on a continuous basis.

The team identified several areas where it made proposals for improvements to operational safety including:

  • Better application of plant procedures
  • Maintenance practices
  • Deeper analysis of root causes of operational events

The Flamanville 1&2 plant management committed to implementing the recommendations and requested that the IAEA schedule a follow-up mission in approximately 18 months.

The team handed a draft of the review to the plant management. The review, including any comments from the plant and ASN, will be reviewed at IAEA headquarters. A final report will be submitted to the plant, to the ASN and the Government of France within three months.

The review team comprised experts from Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, India, Hungary, Russia, South Africa, the Slovak Republic, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, the UK, the USA, and the IAEA.

This was the 179th mission of the OSART programme, which began in 1982, and the 26th mission to France.