Switching From Deferred Dismantling to Immediate Dismantling: The Example of Chooz A, A French PWR

Located in the north of France, close to Belgian border, Chooz A is the first PWR that was built in France from 1962 to 1967. When it was shutdown in 1991, a deferred dismantling strategy was selected. Further to an evolution of EDF decommissioning strategy in 2001, the decommisioning of the plant was accelerated by reducing the safe enclosure period to only a few years. Thus Chooz A will be the first PWR to be fully dismantled in France and it gives a good insight of what is needed to reactivate a plant for final dismantling after a safe enclosure period.