ASN Report 2018

A third opinion was issued on 4 May 2018 on research topics to be taken further in the fields of external natural hazards, the fire risk in BNIs, nuclear fuel cladding materials for PWR reactors, the health impact of ionising radiation and the socio-economic consequences of a nuclear accident. In 2016, a map of the various nuclear safety and radiation protection research players was produced for an end-of- training course professional thesis entrusted by ASN to a trainee engineer. On the basis of this map, ASN established numerous contacts with public research organisations active in fields directly linked to those areas which it felt needed to be reinforced. These ASN exchanges with public research organisations are continuing so that ASN can inform these players of the research fields it considers to be priorities for improving nuclear safety and radiation protection. The Fukushima Daiichi accident highlighted the need for more research in the field of nuclear safety and radiation protection. A Call for Projects (AAP) in these fields was therefore issued by the French National Research Agency (ANR) under the Investing in the Future programme. ASN is a member of the steering committee for this Call for Projects. This call for projects enabled twenty-three projects to be carried out between 2013 and 2018. The year 2019 will be devoted to releasing the results obtained under this call for projects. Some of them also received continued funding as of 2019 for a period of two to three years, depending on the project. Within the framework of the support given to Andra by the General Commissariat for Major Investments for research into nuclear waste, Andra decided in December 2014 to issue a Call for Projects entitled “Optimisation of Decommissioning Radioactive Waste Management” . This enabled fifteen research projects to be launched in this field. 2.3.2  –  Organisation • ASN Commission The ASN Commission comprises five full-time Commissioners. Their mandate is for a period of six years and may not be renewed. The Commissioners perform their duties in complete impartiality and receive no instructions either from the Government or from any other person or institution. The President of the Republic may terminate the duties of a member of the Commission in the event of a serious breach of his or her obligations. The Commission defines ASN strategy. More specifically, it is involved in developing overall policy, i.e. the doctrines and principles that underpin ASN’s main missions of regulation, inspection, transparency, management of emergency situations and international relations. Pursuant to the Environment Code, the Commission submits ASN’s opinions to the Government and issues the main ASN regulations and decisions. It decides on the public position to be adopted on the main issues within ASN’s sphere of competence. The Commission adopts the ASN internal rules of procedure which set out its organisation and working rules, as well as its ethical guidelines. The Commission’s decisions and opinions are published in ASN’s Official Bulletin . In 2018, the ASN Commission met 73 times. It issued 20 opinions and 39 decisions. • ASN head office departments The ASN head office departments comprise an Executive Committee, an Office of Administration, a Management and Expertise Office and eight departments covering specific themes. Under the authority of the ASN Director-General, the Executive Committee organises and manages the departments on a day to day basis. It ensures that the orientations determined by the Commission are followed and that ASN’s actions are effective. It oversees and coordinates the various entities. The role of the departments is to manage national affairs concerning the activities under their responsibility. They take part in defining the general regulations and coordinate and oversee the actions of the ASN regional divisions. ∙ ∙ The Nuclear Power Plant Department (DCN) is responsible for the regulation and monitoring of the safety of the NPPs in operation, as well as the safety of future power generating reactor projects. It contributes to the development of regulation/ monitoring strategies and ASN actions on subjects such as facility ageing, reactor service life, assessment of NPP safety performance and harmonisation of nuclear safety in Europe. The DCN comprises six branches: “Hazards and Safety Reviews”, “Equipment and Systems Monitoring”, “Operation”, “Core and Studies”, “Radiation Protection, Environment and Labour Inspectorate” and “Regulation and New Facilities”. ∙ ∙ The Nuclear Pressure Equipment Department (DEP) is responsible for monitoring the safety of pressure equipment installed in BNIs. It monitors the design, manufacture and operation of NPE and application of the regulations by the manufacturers and their subcontractors and by the nuclear licensees. It also monitors the approved organisations performing the regulation checks on this equipment. The DEP comprises four Branches: “Design”, “Manufacturing”, “In-service Monitoring” and “Relations with Divisions and Operations”. ∙ ∙ The Transport and Radiation Sources Department (DTS) is responsible for monitoring activities relating to sources of ionising radiation in the non-medical sectors and to transport of radioactive substances. It contributes to the development of technical regulations, to monitoring their application and to managing authorisation procedures (installations and equipment emitting ionising radiation in non-medical sectors, suppliers of medical and non-medical sources, accreditation of packaging and of relevant organisations). It took charge of oversight of the security of radioactive sources. The DTS comprises two Branches: “Transport Monitoring” and “Radiation Protection and Sources”, plus a “Source Security” section. ∙ ∙ The Waste, Research Facilities and Fuel Cycle Department (DRC) is responsible for monitoring nuclear fuel cycle facilities, research facilities, nuclear installations being decommissioned, contaminated sites and radioactive waste management. It takes part in monitoring the Meuse/ Haute-Marne underground research laboratory and the research facilities covered by international conventions, such as the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) or the ITER reactor project. The DRC comprises five Offices: “radioactive waste management”, “monitoring of laboratories-plants-decommissioning and research facilities”, “monitoring of fuel cycle facilities”, “management of reactor decommissioning and the cycle front-end” and “management of cycle back-end decommissioning and legacy situations”. ∙ ∙ The Ionising Radiation and Health Department (DIS) is tasked with regulating medical applications of ionising radiation and – in collaboration with IRSN and the various health authorities – with organising the scientific, health and medical watch with regard to the effects of ionising radiation on health. It contributes to the drafting of the regulations in the field of radiation protection, including with respect to natural ionising radiation, and the updating of health protection measures should a nuclear or radiological event 116  ASN report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2018 02 – THE PRINCIPLES OF NUCLEAR SAFETY AND RADIATION PROTECTION AND THE REGULATION AND OVERSIGHT STAKEHOLDERS