Nuclear installation safety is primarily based on the supervision carried out by the licensee itself. In this respect, for each installation, the ASN checks that the organisation and resources deployed by the licensee enable it to assume this responsibility.

The restructuring of the AREVA group led to increased vigilance in this area, in particular with respect to the small installations. It is important that the fact of centralising resources, particularly financial resources, enables each nuclear licensee to can continue to assume its responsibility as licensee.

In addition, to increase licensee accountability and to rationalise its supervisory actions, the ASN asked COGEMA to propose an internal authorisation system allowing changes to the installation or the safety reference system which do not compromise the overall safety demonstration. Only operations which do not fall outside the scope of the authorisation decree or the technical specifications of the installation could be dealt with using this process. Significant modifications will still be submitted to the ASN for approval. 2005 was an opportunity to implement this process on the La Hague units in the final shutdown phase.

The ICPE (installation classified according to the environmental protection regulation rather than the nuclear installation regulation) part of the Comurhex plant in Pierrelatte is designed to manufacture uranium hexafluoride. This manufacturing uses natural uranium in the ICPE part of the installation and reprocessed uranium in the BNI part. This latter mainly consists of two facilities:
- the 2000 facility, which converts uranyl nitrate from the reprocessing plants into UF4 or into U3O8;
- the 2450 facility, which converts the UF4 (whose uranium 235 content is between 1 and 2.5%) from the 2000 facility into UF6. This UF6 will be used to enrich the reprocessed uranium for recycling in the reactor.

Structure 2450 was shut down by the licensee in 2002.

Since then, 235U levels have been limited to strictly lower than 1% for all activities in the COMURHEX BNI, which could enable the licensee to benefit from downgrading to an ICPE rather than a basic nuclear installation.

In a letter dated 8 December 2004, the licensee also confirmed its intention to close the 2000 structure and move to final shutdown of the entire BNI no later than 31 December 2008.

COGEMA operates on the Pierrelatte site BNI 155,which comprises:
- the W plant (ICPE within the BNI boundary) for conversion of depleted uranium hexafluoride (UF6) into uranium oxide (U3O8), which is a solid component offering safer storage conditions;
- the TU5 facility for conversion of uranyl nitrate (UO2 (NO3)2), produced by reprocessing spent fuel, into uranium tetrafluoride (UF4) or into uranium oxide (U3O8). However, the current technical configuration of the installation is not compatible with the production of UF4.

The installation can handle up to 2000 metric tons of uranium per year.

The uranium from reprocessing is partly placed in interim storage on the COGEMA Pierrelatte site and partly sent abroad for enrichment.

Planned developments

The P0 interim storage project is being studied by COGEMA and could give rise to a licence application in the near future. The P0 would be intended for the interim storage of civil materials currently stored in classified BNI facilities also operated by COGEMA on the site, together with the uranium produced by reprocessing in the TU5 facility.