ASN Report 2020

ROLES REGULATING ASN contributes to drafting regulations, by submitting its opinion to the Government on draft Decrees and Ministerial Orders, and by issuing technical regulations. It ensures that the regulations are clear, accessible and proportionate to the safety issues. AUTHORISING ASN examines all individual authorisation applications for nuclear facilities. It can grant all licenses and authorisations, with the exception of major authorisations for Basic Nuclear Installations (BNIs), such as creation and decommissioning. ASN also issues the licenses provided for in the Public Health Code concerning small-scale nuclear activities and issues licenses or approvals for radioactive substances transport operations. MONITORING ASN is responsible for ensuring compliance with the rules and requirements applicable to the facilities and activities within its f ield of competence. Since the Energy Transition for Green Growth Act of 17 August 2015, ASN’s roles now include protecting ionising radioactive sources against malicious acts. Inspection is ASN’s primary monitoring activity. More than 1,500 inspections were thus performed in 2020 in the f ields of nuclear safety and radiation protection. ASN has graded enforcement and penalty powers (formal notice, administrative f ines, daily f ines, ability to carry out seizure, take samples or require payment of a guarantee, etc.). The administrative f ine is the competence of the Administrative Enforcement Committee within ASN, which complies with the principle of the separation of the examination and sentencing functions. INFORMING ASN reports on its activities to Parliament. It informs the public and the stakeholders (environmental protection associations, Local Information Committees, media, etc.) about its activities and the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France. ASN enables all members of the public to take part in the drafting of its decisions with an impact on the environment. It supports the actions of the Local Information Committees of the nuclear facilities. The website asn.fr is ASN’s main information channel. IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS ASN monitors the steps taken by the licensee to make the facility safe. It informs the public and its foreign counterparts of the situation. ASN assists the Government. More particularly, it sends the competent Authorities its recommendations regarding the civil security measures to be taken. REGULATION AND MONITORING OF DIVERSIFIED ACTIVITIES AND FACILITIES Nuclear power plants, radioactive waste management, fabrication and reprocessing of nuclear fuel, packages of radioactive substances, medical facilities, research laboratories, industrial activities, etc. ASN monitors and regulates an extremely varied range of activities and facilities. This regulation covers: ∙ 56 nuclear reactors (*) producing 70% of the electricity consumed in France, as well as the Flamanville EPR reactor under construction; ∙ about 80 other facilities participating in civil research activities, radioactive waste management activities or “fuel cycle” activities; ∙ more than thirty or so facilities which have been f inally shut down or are being decommissioned; ∙ several thousand facilities or activities using sources of ionising radiation for medical, industrial or research purposes; ∙ several hundred thousand shipments of radioactive substances performed annually in France. * As at 30 June 2020. EXPERT SUPPORT When drawing up its decisions and regulations, ASN calls on outside technical expertise, in particular that of the French Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN). The ASN Chairman is a member of the IRSN Board. ASN also calls on the opinions and recommendations of its eight Advisory Committees of Experts, who come from a variety of scientific and technical backgrounds. THE FRENCH NUCLEAR SAFETY AUTHORITY