2023-05-31 05:45:52
The nuclear safety authority (ASN) was alerted to the presence of several falsely qualified welders on the construction site of the international experimental reactor Iterin Cadarache (Bouches-du-Rhône), we learned Tuesday from the nuclear police in France.
According to a letter dated May 4 and published on its website, the ASN was informed as early as “in March of the detection of falsification of welder qualifications” within this research site.
It was the management of Iter itself which brought to the attention of ASN “the discovery of falsifications in the qualification certificates concerning welders working on the construction site”, indicated ASN, confirming information from Le Canard enchaîné to be published on Wednesday.
No “direct impact”
In its letter of 4 May, the ASN asks Iter Organization to “specify the extent of the falsifications brought to light and their possible impact on activities relating to equipment important for safety”. According to the first elements of this analysis, and “subject to the additional information expected, no direct impact has been identified such as a lack of competence of the participants or a non-compliant activity carried out”, specifies the ASN.
With this case, the ASN insists on “the importance, for the licensees, of rigorously carrying out their activities of surveillance of the participants and technical control of the works carried out”.
For its part, “Iter took immediate action not only to remove this particular supplier, but also to disqualify all welds performed by these people and to carry out a complete evaluation of all welding certifications, on a company-wide scale. site”, explained Laban Coblentz, communication manager of the site.
“Very strong tensions” on the trades
According to the ASN, “the risk of irregularity may be aggravated by the current context of very strong tensions in the welding professions, which lead the service provider companies and their employees to face very high demand, and the donors of order to seek professionals beyond their usual partners”.
These labor shortages fall badly at a time when the country is preparing to relaunch nuclear power and when EDF is carrying out a vast program of verification and repair of welds at risk of cracks on emergency pipes.
Colossal project which aims to revolutionize the production of energywith less radioactive waste and no risk of a nuclear accident, the Iter nuclear fusion reactor is facing construction hazards that could cause a delay of several years.
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