#2026-476France Extends Fuel Loading Deadline and Allows Open-Circuit Cooling for the Jules Horowitz Reactor
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This decree gives the Jules Horowitz nuclear research reactor at Cadarache more time to complete its first nuclear fuel loading, extending the deadline from 19 to 28 years after the original 2009 authorization. It also allows the operator to use open-circuit cooling by taking water from the Canal de Provence and discharging water into the EDF canal at Jouques. The operator must measure and archive data on those discharges and their environmental effects, which matters for nuclear site operations, water management, and environmental monitoring.
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Key Changes
- Extends the deadline for the reactor’s first nuclear fuel loading from 19 to 28 years after the 2009 authorization.
- Allows the operator to draw water from the Canal de Provence and discharge water into the EDF canal at Jouques for the reactor’s tertiary cooling system.
- Requires measurements and archived records to monitor water discharges and their environmental effects.
Obligations
What this law requires
For operation of the tertiary circuit of the reactor core cooling system, the operator is authorized to withdraw water from the Canal de Provence and discharge water into the EDF canal at Jouques only within the amended authorization framework for the Jules Horowitz reactor installation.
The operator must carry out the measurements necessary to enable control of discharges into the EDF canal at Jouques and assessment of their effects on the environment.
The operator must archive the results of measurements performed to control discharges into the EDF canal at Jouques and their environmental effects.
The first nuclear fuel loading of the Jules Horowitz reactor must be completed within twenty-eight years of the original 12 October 2009 authorization, replacing the previous nineteen-year period.