ASN Report 2018

∙ ∙ ensures there are no facility malfunctions, including by analysing the ground water and checking licensees’ compliance with the regulations; ∙ ∙ contributes to transparency and information of the public by transmitting monitoring data to the RNM. 4.2.3  –  Content of monitoring All the nuclear sites in France that produce discharges are subject to systematic environmental monitoring. This monitoring is proportionate to the environmental risks or drawbacks of the facility, as presented in the authorisation file, particularly the impact assessment. The regulation monitoring of the environment of BNIs is tailored to each type of facility, depending on whether it is a nuclear power reactor, a plant, a research facility, a waste disposal facility, and so on. The minimum provisions of this monitoring are defined by the amended Order of 7 February 2012 setting the general rules for BNIs and by the above-mentioned modified resolution of 16 July 2013. This resolution obliges BNI licensees to have approved laboratories take the environmental radioactivity measurements required by the regulations. Depending on specific local features, monitoring may vary from one site to another. Table 8 gives examples of the monitoring performed by the licensee of an NPP and of a research centre or plant. When several facilities (whether or not BNIs) are present on the same site, joint monitoring of all these installations is possible, as has been the case, for example, on the Cadarache and Tricastin sites since 2006. These monitoring principles are supplemented in the individual requirements applicable to the facilities by monitoring measures specific to the risks inherent in the industrial processes they use. Each year, in addition to sending ASN the monitoring results required by the regulations, the licensees transmit nearly 120,000 measurements to the national network for environmental radioactivity monitoring. 4.2.4  –  Environmental monitoring nationwide by IRSN IRSN’s nationwide environmental monitoring is carried out by means of measurement and sampling networks dedicated to: ∙ ∙ air monitoring (aerosols, rainwater, ambient gamma activity); ∙ ∙ monitoring of surface water (watercourses) and groundwater (aquifers); ∙ ∙ monitoring of the human food chain (milk, cereals, fish, etc.); ∙ ∙ terrestrial continental monitoring (reference stations located far from all industrial facilities). This monitoring is based on: ∙ ∙ continuous on-site monitoring using independent systems (remote-monitoring networks) providing real-time transmission of results. This includes: ҃ ҃ the Téléray network (ambient gamma radioactivity in the air) which uses a system of continuous measurement monitors around the whole country. The density of this network is being increased around nuclear sites within a radius of 10 to 30 km around BNIs; ҃ ҃ the Hydrotéléray network (monitoring of the main watercourses downstream of all nuclear facilities and before they cross national boundaries); ∙ ∙ continuous sampling networks with laboratory measurement, for example the atmospheric aerosols radioactivity monitoring network; ∙ ∙ processing and measurement in a laboratory of samples taken from the various compartments of the environment, whether or not close to facilities liable to discharge radionuclides. Every year, IRSN takes more than 25,000 samples in all compartments of the environment (excluding the remote- measurement networks). The radioactivity levels measured in France are stable and situated at very low levels, generally at the detection sensitivity threshold of the measuring instruments. The artificial radioactivity detected in the environment results essentially from fallout from the atmospheric tests of nuclear weapons carried out in the 1960s, and from the Chernobyl accident. Traces of artificial radioactivity associated with discharges can sometimes be detected near installations. To this can be added Environmental monitoring: Verification technical visit by the European Commission under Article 35 of the EURATOM Treaty in May 2018 on the La Hague site A verification technical visit by the European Commission under Article 35 of the EURATOM Treaty took place from 29 to 31 May 2018 on the La Hague reprocessing plant site. The programme of the visit comprised various presentations, more particularly concerning the regulation of liquid and gaseous discharges from the Orano La Hague facility, the programmes for monitoring the environment around the site implemented by the licensee and by IRSN respectively, the National environmental radioactivity Monitoring Network (RNM) and ASN approval of the environmental radioactivity measurement laboratories. These presentations were supplemented by visits to the La Hague site and its environs (laboratories dedicated to environmental monitoring, to monitoring effluents and dosimetry measurements, response vehicles, sampling stations, environmental monitoring station in the village of Digulleville, monitoring station operated by IRSN in Omonville-la-Petite and IRSN laboratory in Cherbourg-Octeville). Following the visit, the Commission’s representatives declared themselves to be highly satisfied with all the presentations and the visits. They underlined the pertinence and exhaustiveness of the monitoring programme implemented and welcomed the fact that all the environmental radioactivity measurement results obtained by the RNM were made available to the public. The technical report of this visit, drafted by the members of the Commission, is currently being finalised and will be published on the European Commission’s website. The conclusions of this report indicate that the environmental monitoring arrangements, in both normal and emergency situations, are adequate and comply with the regulatory requirements. ASN report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2018  149 03 – REGULATION OF NUCLEAR ACTIVITIES AND EXPOSURE TO IONISING RADIATION 03