ASN Report 2018

WENRA was created in 1999 and is an association of the heads of nuclear regulatory authorities in European countries with power reactors, with the other countries being observers. This association is based on experience-sharing by safety regulators with a view to harmonising safety rules for reactors and waste management facilities. In the field of radiation protection, HERCA, which was founded in 2007, aims to create an informal forum for heads of radiation protection authorities, along the lines of WENRA. Its aim is to reinforce European cooperation in radiation protection and the harmonisation of national practices. 1.2  ̶  Cooperation in the fields of nuclear safety and radiation protection outside Europe ASN multiplies its initiatives to share nuclear safety and radiation protection best practices and regulations outside Europe. Within the framework of the IAEA, ASN thus plays an active part in the work of the Commission on Safety Standards (CSS). This Commission draws up international standards for the safety of nuclear installations, waste management, radioactive substance transport and radiation protection. These standards, which are not legally binding, constitute an international benchmark, including in Europe where they are reviewed and supplemented by the work of WENRA. They are also the documentary reference standards for the international audits overseen by the Agency. These notably include the safety regulator audit missions (IRRS, Integrated Regulatory Review Service – ARTEMIS, Integrated Review Service for Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Management, Decommissioning and Remediation), as well as the audit missions on NPPs in operation (OSART, Operational Safety Review Team). ASN also contributes actively to the MDEP (Multinational Design Evaluation Programme) the aim of which is to discuss and compare the experiences of safety regulators with regard to the evaluation of new reactors, including the EPR. This programme, started in 2006 by ASN and the American Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), currently brings together 16 safety Authorities and aims to develop innovative approaches for sharing the resources and knowledge of the safety regulators in charge of regulatory evaluation of new reactors, in order to contribute to the harmonisation of safety standards and their implementation. In the field of radiation protection, ASN monitors the progress of the work done by the various international bodies, such as that of the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) or that of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). ASN considers that through their publications, these entities contribute to improved understanding of exposure to ionising radiation and of health effects. They issue recommendations helping to improve the protection of exposed persons, whether patients in the medical sector or specific categories of workers. Extensive sharing of operating experience feedback: ASN- driven adoption of a WENRA recommendation on the manufacturing anomalies affecting nuclear reactor components In the light of the anomalies observed on the French NPP fleet, ASN suggested to the WENRA members that a recommendation be prepared: the working group headed by ASN reached a consensus on a text adopted at the plenary meeting of 24-26 April 2018. The recommendation adopted stipulates that the WENRA members must undertake to have the licensees carry out carbon concentration measurements on the large-sized forged components and analyse the results. It is also recalled that the licensees are responsible for conserving manufacturing records. For new constructions, manufacturing parameters important for safety must also be identified and checked in order to guarantee the quality of the component (zones with a heterogeneity risk, heat treatments, locations of test coupons). Generally speaking, the interaction between the licensee, the designer and the manufacturer must be reinforced. Finally, WENRA will support the work initiated within the framework of the NEA on changes to manufacturing codes and standards, in order to take account of the heterogeneity risks. ASN action on the international stage EUROPEAN MULTILATERAL PART EU, European Commission, Euratom, ENSREG, WENRA, HERCA INTERNATIONAL MULTILATERAL PART IAEA, NEA, MDEP, INRA, UNSCEAR, ICRP CONVENTIONS Nuclear safety, safety of spent fuel and radioactive waste, early notification of a nuclear accident, assistance BILATERAL PART Cooperation and exchange of information, assistance, personnel exchanges ASN ASN report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2018  185 06 – INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 06