Advising the département and zone Prefects and the Government The decision by the Prefect concerning the general public protection measures to be taken in radiological emergency and post-accident situations depends on the actual or foreseeable consequences of the accident around the site. The law states that it is up to ASN to make recommendations to the Prefect and the Government, incorporating the analysis carried out by IRSN. This analysis covers both a diagnosis of the situation (understanding of the situation of the installation affected, analysis of the consequences for humans and the environment) and a prognosis (assessment of possible developments, notably radioactive releases). These recommendations more specifically concern the steps to be taken to protect the population in the emergency and post-accident phases. Circulation of information ASN is involved in informing: ∙ the media and the public: publication of press releases and organisation of press conferences; it is important that this action be coordinated with the other entities required to communicate (Prefects, licensees at both local and national levels, etc.); ∙ institutional and associative stakeholders: local authorities, ministries, Prefectures, political authorities, general directorates of administrations, CLIs, etc.; ∙ foreign nuclear safety regulators. Function of Competent Authority as defined by international conventions The Environment Code provides for ASN to fulfil the role of Competent Authority under the 1986 International Conventions on Early Notification and Assistance. As such, it collates and summarises information for the purpose of sending or receiving notifications and for transmitting the information required by these Conventions to the international organisations (International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA – and European Union) and to the countries affected by the possible consequences on their own territory, jointly with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. 2.2 Organisation in the event of a major accident The ASN emergency response organisation set up to deal with a major accident more specifically comprises: ∙ the participation of ASN staff in the various units of the CIC; ∙ the creation of a national Emergency Centre in Montrouge (Île-de-France region) organised around an emergency director and various specialised units: ‒ an “information management and coordination” unit, in charge of supporting the emergency director; ‒ a logistics unit; ‒ a “safety” unit in charge of understanding and assessing the ongoing event; ‒ a “protection of persons, the environment and property” unit, notably in charge of proposing population protection actions; ‒ an “internal and external communication” unit; ‒ an “international relations” unit; ‒ a “forward planning” unit. The working of the Emergency Centre is regularly tested during national emergency exercises and is activated for actual incidents or accidents. At the local level, ASN representatives visit the département and zone Prefects to help them with their decisions and their communication actions. ASN inspectors may also go to the site affected; others take part in emergency management at the headquarters of the regional division involved. In 2022, the ASN Emergency Centre was activated on 17 occasions for ten national exercises, two international exercises and five real situations. Starting on 4 March, the situations on the Ukrainian sites of Zaporizhzhia and Chernobyl were monitored by the ASN teams, in particular with activation of the Emergency Centre when the Zaporizhzhia NPP was attacked on 4 March and following the total loss of electrical power to the Chernobyl NPP and its safety systems on 10 March. For these two events, the Emergency Centre remained in close contact with IRSN, the IAEA and the other European safety or radiation protection authorities, as well as with the monitoring units at the various Ministries, and coordinated replies to the numerous queries from the media. DIAGRAM The role of ASN in a nuclear emergency situation 2 Licensee Information of the public Information International assistance ASN inspector Media Stakeholders (CLIs, HCTISN, etc.) Structured and organised process CIC Government Prefect COD COZ ASN representatives Embassy ASN (Headquarters) + Emergency Centre + Communication Unit IRSN (Headquarters) Emergency technical centre Oversight Inspections Requirements Recommendations protection of the populations ASN representatives ASN representative COD: Departmental Operations Centre – COZ: Zone Operations Centre – CIC: Interministerial Crisis Committee – CICNR: Interministerial Committee for Nuclear or Radiological Emergencies – CLI: Local Information Committee – HCTISN: High Committee for Transparency and Information on Nuclear Safety – PC: Command Post IAEA – EU Other countries ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2022 175 • 04 • Radiological emergency and post-accident situations 01 04 07 08 13 AP 10 06 12 14 03 09 05 11 02
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