Position adopted by the government about the safety options of the EPR reactor project

On September 28, 2004, on behalf of the French ministers in charge of nuclear safety, the general director of nuclear safety and radiation protection addressed to the president of Electricite de France (EdF) a letter presenting the government's position about the safety options of the EPR (European Pressurized Reactor) project. On the basis of the examination carried out by the nuclear safety authority (ASN) and by the permanent group of reactor experts, the government has considered these options as satisfactory with respect to the safety improvement objectives. Therefore, the government requested EdF to comply with these technical rules for any future reactor development. This dossier includes: the letter of the government, the technical directives for the design and construction of the next generation of PWR-type reactors, the technical rules relative to the design of the main primary and secondary coolant circuits of PWR-type reactors, and the technical file about the safety of the EPR project reprinted from the 2003 report of nuclear safety and radiation protection authority. (J.S.)