ASN Report 2020

respective fields of competence with regard to assessment, decision-making, intervention and communication, for which regular audio-conferences are held. The exchanges between the players lead to decisions and orientations concerning the 1. Defence Nuclear Safety Authority (ASND), in charge of regulation and oversight of nuclear safety and radiation protection for defence-related activities and facilities, more particularly those operated by the CEA. safety of the facility and the protection of the general public. Similarly, relations between the communication units and the spokespersons of the emergency centres ensure that the public and media are given coherent information. 3. Learning from experience 3.1 Carrying out exercises The main aim of these nuclear and radiological emergency exercises is to test the planned response in the event of a radiological emergency in order: ∙ to measure the level of preparedness of all the entities involved (safety Authorities, technical experts, licensees); ∙ to ensure that the plans are kept up to date, that they are well- known to those in charge and to the participants at all levels and that the alert and coordination procedures they contain are effective; ∙ to train those who would be involved in such a situation; ∙ to implement the various aspects of the organisation and the procedures set out in the Interministerial Directives: the emergency plans, the contingency plans, the local safeguard plans and the various conventions; ∙ to contribute to informing the media and develop a general public information approach so that everyone can, through their own individual behaviour, contribute to civil protection; ∙ to build on emergency situation management knowledge and experience. These exercises, which are scheduled by an annual interministe­ rial instruction, involve the licensee, the Ministries, the offices of the Prefects and services of the département s, ASN, the Defence Nuclear Safety Authority (1) (ASND), IRSN and Météo-France , which can represent up to 300 people when resources are deployed in the field. They aim to test the effectiveness of the provisions made for assessing the situation, the ability to bring the installation or the package to a safe condition, to take appropriate measures to pro­ tect the general public and to ensure satisfactory communication with the media and the populations concerned. 3.1.1 National nuclear and radiological emergency exercises In the same way as in previous years, ASN together with the SGDSN, the General Directorate for Civil Security and Emergency Management and the ASND, prepared the 2020 programme of national nuclear and radiological emergency exercises concerning BNIs and radioactive substance transport operations. This programme was announced to the Prefects by the interministerial instruction of 16 January 2020. However, this programme was significantly affected by the Covid-19 health crisis. Generally speaking, these exercises enable the highest-level decision-making circles to be tested, along with the ability of the leading players to communicate, sometimes with simulated media pressure on them. Table 2 describes the key characteristics of the national exercises conducted in 2020. In addition to the national exercises, the Prefects are asked to conduct local exercises for the sites in their département , in order to improve preparedness for radiological emergency situations and more specifically to test the time needed to mobilise all the parties concerned. TABLE 1 Positions of the various players in a radiological emergency situation DECISION EXPERT APPRAISAL INTERVENTION COMMUNICATION Public authorities Government (CIC) Prefect (COD, COZ) – Prefect (PCO) Civil protection Government (CIC) Prefect (COD) ASN (PCT) IRSN (CTC) Météo‑France IRSN (mobile units) ASN IRSN Licensees National and local levels National and local levels Local level National and local levels CIC: Interministerial Crisis Committee – COD : Departmental Operations Centre – COZ: Zone Operations Centre – CTC: Emergency Technical Centre – PCO: Operational Command Post – PCT: Technical Command Post TABLE 2 National civil nuclear and radiological emergency exercises conducted in 2020 NUCLEAR SITE DATE OF EXERCISE MAIN CHARACTERISTICS Tricastin NPP (Drôme – 26) 21 February Mobilisation of the on-call team in the Emergency Centre, ensuring compliance with barrier measures EDF Creys-Malville site undergoing decommissioning (Isère – 38) 30 June Outbreak of f ire on the site Reduced scale activation and compliance with barrier measures EDF’s Chinon NPP (Indre-et-Loire – 37) 1 December Reduced scale activation and compliance with barrier measures Simulated remote media pressure (interviews by telephone) ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2020 181 04 – RADIOLOGICAL EMERGENCY AND POST-ACCIDENT SITUATIONS 04