Conclusion

The supplementary safety assessments carried out on French nuclear facilities in 2011 and 2012 represent a first step in taking on board the feedback from the Fukushima accident. These assessments made it possible, on the one hand, to ensure the robustness of nuclear power plants in the face of plausible hazards, and, on the other hand, to identify additional provisions to reduce the risks associated with situations of total and sustained loss of electrical or cooling sources that could result from hazards greater than those considered in the design. These provisions will include :

• a set of fixed resources, constituting the "hard core", enabling control of the facilities' safety functions at least for the first few days following the accident;

• emergency plans adapted to an accident situation likely to affect...