Cadarache, January 17, 2012. A nuclear crisis exercise with a seismic dimension

As France is a region with a moderate seismicity, the new French seismic zoning indicates that the Cadarache CEA centre and the surrounding communities are located in a region exhibiting a seismicity which is greater than the metropolitan average. Therefore, a project of organizing a nuclear crisis exercise emerged with taking this seismic risk into account. This exercise took place on the 17 January 2012. This article presents its objectives which addressed the ability of public authorities and of the operator to manage a nuclear accident caused by an earthquake and its consequences in terms of civilian security and nuclear safety. The article also briefly presents the Cadarache centre within its seismic environment, and how the seismic risk had been taken into account when designing and dimensioning some of its installations. It also evokes the ASN prescriptions made after the decennial safety inspections. Several actors, institutions and organizations have been involved in the exercise and in its preparation, and this preparation had some consequences on the awareness of local authorities on the seismic risk. The adopted scenario is briefly presented as well as the performance of simulations. The main lessons learned are briefly discussed