Brest (AFP)

The cost of the complete dismantling of the Brennilis nuclear power plant (Finistère) is estimated at 850 million euros, of which 40% for the dismantling of the reactor block, much more than what was planned, announced Thursday the department of Finistère.

"The cost of each operation is estimated on the basis of contracts, feedback from similar operations, quotes and technical studies", specifies the departmental council in a press release reporting on the last local information committee. (CLI) held on July 1.

In a report published in 2005, the Court of Auditors reported a cost of 482 million euros, 20 times more already estimated in 1985.

Excluding inflation, the increase is 30%, EDF explained to AFP, justifying this increase by "operating costs" during work interruptions, between 2008 and 2012 following the cancellation of the complete dismantling decree , and between 2019 and 2023, i.e. between the end of partial dismantling and the expected start of full dismantling operations.

"The resumption of the dismantling scenario, in 2017, which takes into account more experience feedback and which results in a work period of 17 years instead of 10 years initially planned for the end of the operations to be carried out" also contributed to an increase in costs, underlined EDF.

The dismantling of this prototype 70 MW heavy water reactor, the only one of its kind in France, began in 1997, twelve years after production ceased in 1985.

So far, only the old effluent treatment plant and the heat exchangers have been dismantled, operations concerning the reactor block and the reactor building having not yet been authorized.

This work is the most complex because it concerns the most radioactive part of the installation.

They must be spread over 17 years.

EDF submitted a complete dismantling file to the Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) in July 2018. Since then, its 3,000 pages have been studied by the regulatory body, which must issue an opinion before the publication of a decree authorizing dismantling.

This decree is expected for 2022.

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"The examination of the dismantling file is underway", ASN informed AFP on Thursday, specifying that it would continue "in all likelihood during the year 2022".

Work should be able to begin in 2023 once the last authorizations have been obtained, such as those concerning the general operating rules or the internal emergency plan, said EDF.

The end of the dismantling is therefore scheduled for 2040.

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