ASN Report 2018

• Authorisation ASN reviews BNI authorisation or decommissioning applications, issues opinions and makes proposals to the Government concerning the decrees to be issued in these fields. It authorises significant modifications to a BNI. It defines the requirements applicable to these installations with regard to the prevention of risks, pollution and detrimental effects. It authorises commissioning of these installations and pronounces delicensing following completion of decommissioning. Some of these ASN resolutions require approval by the Minister responsible for Nuclear Safety. ASN issues the licenses, carries out registration and receives the notifications provided for in the Public Health Code concerning small-scale nuclear activities and issues licenses or approvals for radioactive substances transport operations. The ASN resolutions and opinions defined by its Commission are published in its Official Bulletin on its website ( asn.fr ). • Monitoring ASN verifies compliance with the general rules and specific requirements for nuclear safety and radiation protection applicable to BNIs, to the pressure equipment designed specifically for such facilities and to the transport of radioactive substances. It also regulates the activities mentioned in Article L. 1333-1 of the Public Health Code and the ionising radiation exposure situations defined in Article L. 1333-3 of the same Code. ASN organises a permanent radiation protection watch throughout the national territory. From among its staff, it appoints nuclear safety inspectors, radiation protection inspectors and inspectors carrying out labour inspectorate duties. ASN issues the required approvals and certifications to the organisations participating in the verifications and in nuclear safety or radiation protection monitoring, as well as with regard to Nuclear Pressure Equipment (NPE). Ordinance 2016-128 of 10 February 2016, issued pursuant to the TECV Act, reinforces ASN’s regulatory and sanction powers and broadens the scope of its competences. The effect of ASN’s reinforced regulation, policing and sanction powers will be to improve the effectiveness of the regulation of nuclear safety and radiation protection. These policing and sanction powers are extended to the activities performed outside BNIs and participating in the technical and organisational measures mentioned in the 2nd paragraph of Article L. 595-2 of the Environment Code, by the licensee, its suppliers, contractors or sub-contractors and in the same conditions as within the facilities themselves. Administrative fines will be imposed by the sanctions commission in order to comply with the principle of separation between the investigation, charging and sentencing functions instituted in French law and in international conventions on the right to a fair trial. Chapter 3 of this report describes ASN actions in this field. • Emergency situations ASN takes part in managing radiological emergency situations. It provides technical assistance to the competent Authorities for the drafting of emergency response plans, taking account of the risks resulting from nuclear activities. When such an emergency situation occurs, ASN verifies the steps taken by the licensee to make the facility safe. It assists the Government with all matters within its field of competence and submits its recommendations on the medical or health measures or civil protection steps to be taken. It informs the general public of the situation, of any releases into the environment and their consequences. It acts as the Competent Authority within the framework of international conventions, by notifying international organisations and foreign countries of the accident. Chapter 4 of this report describes ASN actions in this field. In the event of an incident or accident concerning a nuclear activity and pursuant to Decree 2007-1572 of 6 November 2007 concerning technical inquiries into accidents or incidents concerning a nuclear activity, ASN may carry out a technical inquiry. • Information ASN participates in informing the public in its areas of competence. Chapter 5 of this report describes ASN actions in this field. • Research monitoring The quality of ASN’s resolutions and decisions relies primarily on robust technical expertise which, in turn, requires the best and most up-to-date knowledge. In this field, the above- mentioned Ordinance of 10 February 2016 comprises provisions giving ASN competence to ensure that public research is tailored to the needs of nuclear safety and radiation protection. “ASN keeps track of national and international research and development work on nuclear safety and radiation protection. It formulates any proposals or recommendations concerning research needs in nuclear safety and radiation protection. These proposals and recommendations are communicated to the Ministers and to the public stakeholders exercising the research duties concerned so that they can be taken into account in the orientations and the definition of the research and development programmes of interest for safety” (Article L. 592-31-1 of the Environment Code). Consequently, ASN is already concerned about the availability of the knowledge required to underpin the expertise it may need to call upon in the medium and long term. ASN is also attentive to the quality of research initiatives with a view to their integration by the licensees into their safety cases and impact assessments. ASN takes part in IRSN’s steering committee on research and draws on the expertise of a Scientific Committee to examine its proposed orientations concerning the research work to be conducted or taken further in the fields of nuclear safety and radiation protection. In a resolution dated 6 July 2018, the ASN Commission appointed for a four year-term the nine members of the Scientific Committee, selected for their expertise in the field of research. Under the Chairmanship of Michel Schwarz, former scientific director of IRSN, the Committee comprises Benoît De Boeck, Jean-Marc Cavedon, Edward Lazo, Catherine Luccioni, Antoine Masson, Jean-Claude Micaelli, Christelle Roy and Marc Vannerem. The renewed Scientific Committee met for the first time on 9 November 2018. On the basis of the work of the Scientific Committee, ASN issued a first opinion in April 2012 underlining the importance of research for ASN and identifying the first research topics to be taken further in the fields of nuclear safety and radiation protection, regarding social, organisational and human factors, radiobiology, ageing of PWR metal materials and non- destructive examinations. A second opinion was issued in early 2015 on the research topics to be taken further in the fields of waste packaging, deep geological disposal, the transport of radioactive substances and severe accidents. ASN report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2018  115 02 – THE PRINCIPLES OF NUCLEAR SAFETY AND RADIATION PROTECTION AND THE REGULATION AND OVERSIGHT STAKEHOLDERS 02