.	Decommissioning
•	During dismantling
•	Immediate or deferred dismantling
•	Regulatory requirements
•	Stages
•	Summary
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The termination of electrical power generation by the plant corresponds to the last time the control rods of the reactor are inserted into the reactor core.

The operations leading to the termination of electric power generation are carried out by the operating organization in accordance with the General Operating Rules and the Safety Analysis Report on the initial installation. The operations include defuelling and the removal of spent nuclear fuel and normal operating waste. A safety dossier regarding these operations must be submitted by the operating organization to the Safety Authority six months before terminating electrical power generation.

The decommissioning operations essentially consist of:

• Removing the equipment outside of the nuclear island that is not necessary to be kept under surveillance for safety reasons
• Maintaining or reinforcing the containment barriers
• Producing a radioactivity balance

These operations enable stage 1 decommissioning to be initiated (the stages of decommissioning are defined below).

The dismantling work may start just after the final shutdown or be deferred to benefit from radioactive decay. Dismantling can lead to stage 2 of decommissioning or possibly stage 3 depending on the final state required.

The final shutdown operations and subsequent dismantling work require a license in the form of a decree. These activities should start after examination and approval by the Safety Authority of a dossier prepared by the operating organization. This dossier justifies the planned final state of the installation and indicates the different dismantling stages.

Upon completion of the dismantling work, there are three possible outcomes:

• The installation is entirely dismantled and, as such, is removed from the list of Basic Nuclear Installations
• The final state is that of an installation classified for environmental protection. If the residual activity is less than 370*10¹² Bq; an installation classified for environmental protection may be licensed or simply declared, depending on the procedures provided for the type of installation
• The final state is that of a new Basic Nuclear Installation if the residual activity is greater than 370*10¹² Bq. This new Basic Nuclear Installation must be licensed by decree after a public inquiry, in accordance with the procedures established by the decree