TA contribute to the maintenance of the Vigilant

The submarine Vigilant is making a 30-month stop at the Brest naval base for its periodic out-of-service period for maintenance and repair (IPER). The IPER is a mandatory procedure every 10 years—a technical shutdown that allows for maintenance operations to ensure the vessel’s longevity and enhance the safety of its nuclear reactor.
Working alongside Naval Group, TechnicAtome is providing design support throughout the entire IPER period. The reactor core is thoroughly inspected, and the reactor vessel is refueled with new fuel manufactured by TA.

TA’s teams are responsible for “upgrading” the main components of the nuclear reactor core. These components are disassembled and transported to the Cadarache site for major maintenance work before being returned to the Le Vigilant in Brest. These operations will involve numerous employees at the Cadarache, Aix-en-Provence, and Blagnac (for the Arcys subsidiary) sites, working in the fields of mechanics, electrical systems, and control systems.
These various maintenance activities will ensure the reactor’s availability for the next 10 years.

The Vigilant, which entered active service in 2004, is one of four SSBN.