In a resolution of 7 May 2024, ASN authorised commissioning of the Flamanville EPR reactor. This authorisation allows EDF to load nuclear fuel into the reactor and carry out start-up tests, followed by operation of the reactor.
An ASN delegation, led by its Chairman Bernard Doroszczuk, travelled to Mumbai on 5 March 2024 to meet its Indian counterpart, the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) and its Chairman Shri Dinesh Kumar Shukla. This meeting was organised as part of the cooperation agreement that has linked the two safety regulators for nearly 25 years now.
On 30 January, the ASN Commission and Director General’s office presented their New Year’s greetings to the press. On this occasion, ASN recalled that against the backdrop of a significant increase in workload and in the light of the situation observed in recent years, combatting falsification and counterfeiting at all levels along the subcontracting chain must remain a major point for particular attention across the sector.
Mr. Olivier Dubois has been appointed to the ASN Commission for 6 years by a decree of the French President dated 29 January 2024. In this capacity, he replaces Ms. Laure Tourjansky. Pursuant to Article L. 592-2 of the Environment Code, he was nominated by the President of the Senate.
Mme Stéphanie Guénot Bresson has been appointed a member of the ASN Commission for a term of 6 years by a decree of the French President dated 10 December 2023. In this capacity, she replaces Mme Sylvie Cadet-Mercier, whose mandate ended on 10 December 2023.
On 5 December 2023, an ASN delegation, led by commissioner Sylvie Cadet-Mercier, met a delegation from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) led by Ramzi Jammal, acting chief executive officer (CEO), in Ottawa at CNSC headquarters.
On 6 December 2023, ASN held in Montrouge its annual steering committee meeting with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), its American counterpart to discuss regulatory priorities and topics of interest.
On 16 and 17 November 2023, during its visit to China, the ASN delegation met the licensees of the Changjiang NPP (CNNC) on Hainan Island and the Taishan NPP (TNPJVC).
During its visit to China, an ASN delegation, led by its Chairman Bernard DOROSZCZUK, met a delegation from the Chinese Atomic Energy Agency (CAEA1) led by its Chairman, Vice-minister ZHANG Kejian, in Beijing on 13 November.
On 14 and 15 November 2023, the Western European Nuclear Regulators’ Association (WENRA) held its biannual plenary meeting at ASN headquarters in Montrouge.
ASN publishes the lessons learned from the review conducted jointly with its Finnish (STUK) and Czech (SUJB) counterparts regarding the safety options of the NUWARD SMR reactor project, developed by a subsidiary of EDF.
In 2022 and in the first half of 2023, ASN continued with its monitoring of the construction of the Flamanville EPR reactor. It was particularly vigilant with regard to the treatment of the deviations detected on the main primary and secondary system welds and to the correct operation of the filtration function of the safety injection system (SIS). It continued to examine the installation start-up tests and the correct operation of the primary system protection valves.
