ASN Approves Dismantling Operations for Georges Besse Towers

The French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) has approved the start of dismantling operations for the cooling towers of the Georges Besse facility, the original.

Located near the Tricastin nuclear power plant are two cooling towers, but these are not associated with EDF reactors. Situated on the Orano site, they were used for cooling the Georges Besse I gaseous diffusion enrichment plant, which commenced operations in 1979 and was also known as Eurodif after its historical operator. Shut down in 2012 to make way for Georges Besse II, the facility is now being dismantled. On July 10, 2024, the ASN greenlit the dismantling of the cooling towers using the nibbling method.

A Tower to Nibble

The ASN notes that “these two towers are conventional facilities where no radioactive substances were used during the operational phase.” However, their dimensions, 123 meters high and 90 meters in diameter at the base, make the operations complex. For the method, nibbling was chosen over explosive demolition, also known as “blasting.” This method is seen by the ASN as fast but reduces risks and impacts of the construction site compared to the other method. “Moreover, it has a positive track record from its implementation in several projects in Europe, notably the dismantling of four cooling towers between 2018 and 2019 at the Jaslovské Bohunice plant in Slovakia,” the ASN reports.

The nibbling technique involves gradually cutting the upper part of the tower using a hydraulic concrete crusher attached to a crane positioned in the center of the tower. The final stages of the operation, when the tower is shorter, will be carried out using ground machinery.■

Gaïc Le Gros (Sfen)

Orano – Colin Mathieu – Aerial view of the Georges-Besse enrichment plant (GB-II) on the Orano Tricastin site.