August 2012
Summary
Réalités industrielles
August 2012 -
Complete issue
This issue was coordinated
by Claude TRINKIngénieur général des Mines
This issue was coordinated
Editorial
By Pierre COUVEINHES
Rédacteur en chef des Annales des Mines
Avant-propos : Le corps du livre par Claude TRINK,
Factors that shape the future
The perception in 2012 of nuclear risks in France: Before and after Fukushima par Emmanuel RIVIERE
By Emmanuel RIVIERE
Institut TNS-Sofres, directeur du département Stratégies d’Opinion
et Alain DELMESTRE
Autorité de sûreté nucléaire (ASN), directeur général adjoint, directeur de la communication et de l’information des publics
For the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN), the Fukushima catastrophe marked the year 2011. This major event reminds us that the risk of such an accident can never be eliminated regardless of how many precautions are taken. There is, quite clearly, a “before” and an “after” Fukushima. Owing to this catastrophe, fundamental questions arise that reach beyond the accident at Tepco’s plant in Japan. In this context, the ASN has a leading role to play by fostering not only accountability in matters related to nuclear safety and radiation but also a “risk culture” among citizens.
The prospects for nuclear safety
By Sophie MOURLON
Directrice générale adjointe, Autorité de sûreté nucléaire (ASN)
The 11 March 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan, after a violent earthquake followed by a tsunami, proves that, despite the precautions actually taken, an accident can never be left out of consideration, whence key questions ranging beyond the specific characteristics of the Fukushima reactors. According to the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN), drawing all the lessons from this catastrophe might take up to ten years, but is necessary for improving nuclear safety around the world. The ASN will be on watch, as it has been for other decisive factors that determine nuclear security, namely: the ageing of installations, the requirements to be applied to new reactors, research projects in the nuclear industry for developing a “fourth generation” of reactors, the coherency of the fuel cycle, the management of nuclear wastes and the dismantling of installations. In this context and regardless of the energy options retained, the ASN recalls that nuclear power must be safe. The accountability and independence of control authorities are of primordial importance.
The CEA’s role
By Christophe BÉHAR
Directeur de l’Energie Nucléaire (CEA)
Given the growing scarcity of fossil fuels, the need for security in the energy supply and the necessity of limiting greenhouse gas emissions, it has become indispensable to have competitive, sustainable sources of energy, among them nuclear power. The French Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique (CEA), a major player in the field of carbon-free energy, is trying to develop such a source from the atom. Since its creation, the CEA has staked out a position at the crossroads between science and industry. In collaboration with corporate leaders and academics, it is working to improve the competitiveness of the existing park of nuclear facilities and to develop both a fourth generation of nuclear installations and procedures for processing spent fuel.
The ASTRID project
By François GAUCHÉ
CEA, chef du programme Réacteurs de quatrième génération
ASTRID, an acronym for “advanced sodium technology reactor for industrial demonstration”, refers to a prototype for a fast-neutron reactor that, cooled with sodium, breeds sufficient power for industrial purposes. It will be the first reactor of this sort in the world to meet the standards for “fourth-generation” nuclear reactors. This ambitious project, under a French act passed in June 2006 on the sustainable management of nuclear material and wastes, is preparing our country’s future in the energy field.
ITER, a key phase for placing fusion in the energy mix of the future
By Jérôme PAMELA et Sylvie ANDRÉ-MITSIALIS
Commissariat à l’énergie atomique (CEA)
Energy is an issue in the spotlight, rightly so since it preoccupies public opinion. A new era has opened during which energy will be expensive in comparison with its cost since the start of the industrial revolution. It is, therefore, essential to conduct research on developing a new, safe and abundant, source of energy within the time span of a generation. Besides renewable sources of energy and atomic fission, fusion might, during this century, come to replace part of the worldwide consumption of electricity, which is now generated from fossil fuels. Representing more than half the planet’s population, 34 counties have joined efforts in the ITER project to clear the last hurdle to research on the mass production of a sustainable source of energy.
From basic science to social issues: The CEA’s role in atomic energy and alternative sources of energy
By Daniel IRACANE
Directeur adjoint de la direction des Relations internationales du Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA)
Stanislas POMMERET
Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA)
et Elvire LEBLANC
Responsable du domaine scientifique des Nouvelles Technologies pour l’Energie, direction Stratégie et Programme du Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA)
By force of circumstance, thoroughgoing changes are under way in the ways we consume and produce energy. R&D must respond to these changes by making technological innovations and proposing solutions that are safe, competitive, economic with regard to natural resources and respectful of the environment. The French Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique Acteur (CEA) has a leading role to play…
The conclusions of “Énergies 2050”, a report on the prospects for nuclear energy in France
By Jacques PERCEBOIS
Président de la Commission « Energies 2050 »
et Claude MANDIL
Vice-président de la Commission « Energies 2050 »
Eric Besson, former minister of Industry, Energy and the Digital Economy, asked a committee to analyze the various possibilities for France’s energy policy in 2030 and beyond. The conclusions and recommendations are presented herein. With respect to the supply of electricity, this committee worked on four scenarios: a) maintaining the existing park of nuclear plants; b) accelerating the passage to the third or even fourth generation of nuclear reactors, c) gradually reducing the share of nuclear power; and d) closing down all nuclear power stations.
Governance in nuclear power imagined for France
By Charles-Antoine LOUËT
Sous-directeur de l’Industrie nucléaire à la direction générale de l’Energie et du Climat (DGEC) - Ministère de l’Ecologie, du Développement Durable et de l’Energie
et Timothée FUROIS
Adjoint au chef du bureau chargé des Politiques publiques et des Questions de Tutelle des entreprises et des établissements publics, sousdirection de l’Industrie nucléaire à la direction générale de l’Energie et du Climat (DGEC) Ministère de l’Ecologie, du Développement Durable et de l’Energie
Energy is a key to development. It helps satisfy basic needs, provide conveniences to human beings and sustain economic activities. It forces hard choices upon us however, since there is no ideal source of energy. The first article of the French Code of Energy sets four objectives for energy policy: guarantee the security of the energy supply, maintain a competitive price for energy, preserve the environment and human health (in particular by fighting against climate change), and safeguard the country’s social and territorial cohesion by providing all citizens with access to energy. Nuclear power is a part of the country’s energy policy. Public authorities oversee the conditions of its use while seeking to continually improve them. This is the objective of governance in the field of nuclear energy.
The nuclear industry: Momentum between diversified markets
Upstream in the nuclear industry’s chain of production: Uranium mines and preparation of the fue
By Philippe KNOCHE
Areva
Technological innovation lies at the core of the nuclear fuel cycle. The various phases for producing fuel involve a constantly evolving know-how and technology. Spent fuel is the outcome of a long period of developments, sophisticated simulations and ongoing feedback so as to optimize operations and the handling of accidents. As much can be said about current processes for producing nuclear fuel. Since the Fukushima calamity, the major issue for the coming years will be to guarantee a higher level of safety for both the personnel and general population. Optimizing productivity, ensuring a stable energy supply to customers and constantly lowering the environmental impact are still the fundamental determinants of the nuclear industry’s future.
A year after Fukushima: A panorama of the market for new reactors
By Luc OURSEL
Président du Directoire d’Areva
et Pierre LANDAU
Chargé de mission auprès du Président du Directoire d’Areva, Secrétariat Exécutif, Areva
The nuclear accident in Fukushima has, once again, placed nuclear safety at the center of the preoccupations of the public, policy-makers and corporate leaders in the nuclear industry. Regardless of competitiveness-cost, of the advantages that nuclear power has as an independent source of energy and as a positive factor in the fight against global warming, this industry’s future depends on setting steep safety requirements. To survive and thrive, the nuclear industry must be safe and transparent.
The market for steam turbine generators around the world
By Olivier MANDEMENT, Philippe ANGLARET et Patrick LEDERMANN
Alstom
As a discrete market (in the mathematical sens of the word) with irregular sales from one year to the next, the market for steam turbine generators in nuclear plants requires working out a strategy adapted to each project. The diversity of the reactors proposed (technology, thermal power, the thermodynamic characteristics of the steam supplied), the variety of the cold sources to be used (ranging from the Baltic Sea to the Indian Ocean) and the different frequencies of electricity grids (50 or 60 Hz) necessitate developing platforms of solutions. Furthermore, the requirement that local businesses have a share in contracts often entails partnerships. After pointing out the diversity of this market, the effort is made to point out its principal characteristics.
The stakes in managing radioactive waste
By Fabrice BOISSIER
Directeur de la maîtrise des risques, Agence nationale pour la gestion des déchets radioactifs (Andra)
Like any human activity, the nuclear industry produces wastes. The wastes containing radioactive substances have to be managed as a function of the related risks. Nowadays, 1.300.000 tons of radioactive wastes have accumulated in France. More than 90% of them have short half-lives and are stored on the ground by ANDRA (Agence Nationale pour la Gestion des Déchets Radioactifs). This national agency for managing radioactive wastes also designs solutions for stocking the other wastes. Those with long half-lives will be stored deep underground at Cigéo in the Meuse and Haute-Marne districts. Implementing a storage solution for each type of waste is necessary for the nuclear industry’s sustainability, but it does not dispense the latter from pursuing its efforts to reduce the quantity and danger of the wastes produced. This holds in particular for the so-called “fourth generation” of future installations. It is important to take stock of all the issues related to managing nuclear waste.
The Cigéo project
By Thibaud LABALETTE
Directeur des programmes - Agence nationale pour la gestion des déchets radioactifs (Andra)
Cigéo is a deep geological site designed for stocking the most radioactive nuclear wastes in a layer of clay shale dating from 160 million years ago and located in the commune of Bure. The Laboratoire Souterrain de Recherche de Meuse/Haute-Marne conducted the geological study. These wastes mainly come from nuclear power stations and the reprocessing of spent fuel.
Managing the wastes coming from the demolition of a growing number of nuclear power plants is still to be optimized
By Bruno CAHEN
Directeur Industriel, Agence nationale pour la gestion des déchets radioactifs (Andra)
Dismantling the nuclear facilities that went into service during the 1980s and 1990s is a major issue for the coming twenty years. The National Agency for Managing Radioactive Wastes (ANDRA) has the task of designing and implementing solutions for the long-term management of radioactive wastes. These solutions should protect the population and environment in the short and long runs while offering to the producers of wastes favorable economic conditions for stocking them
Wich industrial model for the futur?
Generalities about nuclear reactors
By Claude JAOUEN
Directeur du Business Group Réacteurs et Services, Areva
et Pierre BÉROUX
Directeur technique et industriel de l’ingénierie nucléaire, EDF
From Zoé, the first nuclear fuel rod, till the current EPR, the nuclear industry has always advanced by profiting from the feedback from dozens of years of experience and operations, in particular by drawing lessons from the most significant events in its history, such as the Fukushima accident. The new generations of reactors must improve safety and economic performance so that the industry maintain its legitimacy and its share in the production of electricity.
The ATMEA1 reactor
By Philippe NAMY
Président d’ATMEA
ATMEA1 is a new 1100 MWe pressurized water reactor for all types of electricity grids in the mid-power range. Its design has incorporated the best technology used for third-generation reactors. ATMEA1 meets up to the latest safety requirements.
Small modular reactors
By Jean-Michel DELBECQ
EDF R&D
Small modular reactors (SMRs) are nuclear reactors of less than 300 megawatts (MWe). The modules are built in a factory and then shipped to the site for assembly. Reactors can be built in isolated units or in modules that are assembled to form a multimodular power plant with a higher output in megawatts. Although SMRs have not yet won the electricity production battle, several projects are under development, notably in Russia and in the United States, where there is what we might call an infatuation with them. The maturest SMRs are pressurized water reactors that could be deployed in the early 2020s. SMR supporters emphasize the savings, the “passive” safety and the flexibility with respect to: investments, adaptation to the demand for electricity and management of electricity grids. When these different points are analyzed, SMRs, in particular, the deployment of multimuodlular power stations, turn out to be worthy of attention.
The AP1000 reactor
By François HARARI
Vice-président et Managing Director de Westinghouse France-Benelux et Afrique du Sud
et Carole CHAUVIN
Communications Lead, Westinghouse France
The past year has been hard on the nuclear industry, in particular on the firms trying to build new plants. Needless to mention the March 2011 events at Fukushima in Japan, which will have an impact on all plans for nuclear facilities around the world for years to come. The AP1000 projects in China and the United States have not been interrupted even though the regulatory inspections during construction have become stricter — evidence of the legitimate preoccupations of both the public and authorities. Although decisions have been adopted about the future technology, Westinghouse is convinced that the AP1000’s “passive” safety makes it more attractive. Let us not forget that Westinghouse was at the origin of the concept of pressurized water reactors, an idea adopted for half the nuclear power stations in the world and for all the plants now active in France.
What are, in France, the prospects for building big components for nuclear power plants?
By Claude TRINK et Jean-Luc VO VAN QUI
Ingénieurs généraux des Mine s
France has maintained an industry for building major components for nuclear power plants despite the slowdown in new orders since the Chernobyl disaster. The Fukushima accident, which occurred as the industry was preparing for a new spurt of growth, has led some governments to review policies for developing nuclear energy. This industry’s future is now under discussion…
Nuclear power: Which industrial approach will preserve a French asset?
By Hervé MACHENAUD
Electricité de France (EDF)
France’s strategic decision in favor of nuclear energy in the 1970s has given rise to an organization of this industry with clearly defined roles and responsibilities for all parties. This is a wager for controls and safety, assets that enable the French nuclear industry to be present on the international scene and thus maintain its know-how and capacities.
The Pôle Nucléaire Bourgogne for developing the nuclear components industry
By Gérard KOTTMANN
Valinox, Président du Pôle Nucléaire Bourgogne (PNB)
The Pôle Nucléaire Bourgogne is a “competitive pole” — high-technology cluster — in Burgundy with an international calling. It aims at innovating, educating and federating in order to place the French nuclear industry in a leading position while fostering a cross-fertilization between high-tech industries (aeronautics, energy, transportation).