France’s Brennilis NPP in the Monts d’Arée in Brittany, which has been shut down since 1985, is expected to be fully dismantled by 2041. Work on the final phase should begin by the end of this year, according to the Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN – Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire). However, EDF must ensure that the deadlines prescribed for carrying out the periodic inspections are met and that the characteristics of the materials are traceable with a view to their reuse or subsequent disposal. Fully supported by EDF, the dismantling should cost €850m ($950m). The aim is to return the site to brownfield or even greenfield status.
During the next 3-4 years, the aim will be to clear the area around the reactor building, explained Gaetan Lafforge-Marmet, who heads ASN’s Caen division. This clean up phase is intended to facilitate subsequent dismantling of the reactor. EDF was last year authorised to begin the third and final phase of the decommissioning.
The plant is a prototype 75 MWe gas-cooled heavy water reactor that began operation in 1972. The first decommissioning phase, which involved the removal of all fuel and the dewatering of its systems, was completed in 1992. The second phase, completed in 2005, saw the dismantling of equipment and all buildings except the reactor building. “Brennilis today contains few radioactive substances, and the risks are limited”, Lafforge-Marmet noted.
Researched and written by Judith Perera
