REGULATION AND OVERSIGHT EQUAL TO THE CHALLENGES AHEAD Montrouge, 7 March 2023 2022 was a pivotal year for the nuclear sector in France, with the President of the Republic’s announcement of a programme to build new reactors and the desire to see the existing Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) to continue to operate. It was more generally a pivotal year on an European scale, with an unprecedented energy crisis which completed the process of ushering in a new era for the nuclear industry. In a joint declaration, the heads of Europe’s nuclear safety regulators recalled the importance of nuclear safety in this new context. They urge all the stakeholders to fully exercise their responsibilities in this field, whether Governments, industrial firms or the regulatory authorities themselves. It is up to these latter to take balanced decisions. To this end, the in-depth technical dialogue between the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN), with the support of the Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) when necessary, and industry, is the best guarantee for obtaining a high level of safety while taking account of industrial realities. In the current period, more than ever, it is essential for the regulation and oversight of nuclear safety and radiation protection to be independent and equal to the challenges. 8 ABSTRACTS – ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2022 EDITORIAL BY THE DIRECTOR GENERAL
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