ASN Report 2020

ASN head office departments The ASN head office departments comprise an Executive Committee, an Office of Administration, a Management and Expertise Office, an Oversight Support Office and nine 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 regulating and monitoring 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/oversight 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 offices: “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 offices: “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 drafting 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, certification of packaging and of relevant organisations). It took charge of oversight of the security of radioactive sources. The DTS comprises two offices: “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 Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN) or the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project. The DRC comprises five Offices: “Radioactive Waste Management”, “Monitoring of Laboratories-plants-waste- 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 the IRSN and the various health authorities – 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 take place. The DIS comprises two offices: “Exposure in the Medical Sector” and “Exposure of Workers and the Public”. ∙ The Environment and Emergency Department (DEU) is responsible for monitoring environmental protection and managing emergency situations. It establishes policy on nationwide radiological monitoring and on the provision of information to the public and helps to ensure that discharges from BNIs are “as low as reasonably achievable”, in particular by establishing general regulations. It contributes to defining the framework of the organisation of the public authorities and nuclear licensees in the management of emergency situations. The DEU comprises two offices: “Safety and Preparedness for Emergency Situations” and “Environment and Prevention of Detrimental Effects”. ∙ The Legal Affairs Department (DAJ) provides consulting, analysis and assessment and assistance services on legal matters. It assists the various departments and the regional divisions with drafting ASN standards and analyses the consequences of new texts and new reforms on ASN’s actions. It takes part in drawing up ASN’s enforcement and sanctions doctrine. It defends ASN’s interests before administrative and judicial courts, jointly with the entities concerned. It takes part ASN actions in the field of research In the field of research, ASN set itself the objectives of identifying its needs, publishing them and making them known among the institutions, licensees and research laboratories, so that they are incorporated into the research programmes. In order to reinforce its approach, ASN is also involved in steering committees, such as that of the National Research Agency (ANR), on research in the fields of nuclear safety and radiation protection. ASN also takes part in selecting research projects financed by Euratom. These calls for projects supported by structures such as the General Secretariat for Investment and the European Commission helped numerous projects emerge in response to the research needs identified by ASN over the past ten years, on subjects such as non-destructive examinations, severe accidents, organisational and human factors, the biological and health effects of low doses of ionising radiation, or the conditioning of waste and its geological disposal. The scientific watching brief conducted by ASN has also identified a number of subjects which have been studied little if at all since they were identified by ASN in 2012. In order to remedy this situation, ASN will for the first time in 2021 have a budget envelope specifically devoted to financing these orphan subjects. In addition, ASN will continue its meetings with the authorities, institutions, research laboratories and licensees in France and abroad, for discussions on research needs. 130 ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2020 02 – THE PRINCIPLES OF NUCLEAR SAFETY AND RADIATION PROTECTION AND THE REGULATION AND OVERSIGHT STAKEHOLDERS