News releases

All the news about nuclear safety and radiation protection

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Published on 02/11/2009 at 13:57

EPR Pressurised Water Reactor

1. The UK nuclear safety regulator (HSE’s ND), the French nuclear regulator (ASN), and the Finnish nuclear regulator (STUK) are currently working to assess the EPR Pressurised Water Reactor...

Published on 20/10/2009 at 14:51

Incident on the ATPu nuclear facility (Cadarache CEA site)

The incident that occurred at the ATPu (Plutonium Technology facility), a nuclear facility located at the Cadarache CEA (Atomic Energy Commission) site, and declared by the CEA on 6 October 2009, was rated as level 2 on the International Nuclear Event Scale (INES) – a scale with 7 severity levels – by ASN (French Nuclear Safety Authority) on 12 October 2009. The CEA holds the ATPu’s licence and AREVA runs the facility.

Published on 10/10/2009 at 11:00

Flamanville 3 : The ASN enacts prescriptions for the EPR

In application of the Act on transparency and security in the nuclear field (TSN) of 13 June 2006, ASN defined by a decision of 26 September 2008 the prescriptions for the Flamanville 3 EPR reactor currently being built on the Flamanville site.

Published on 31/07/2009 at 16:02

EPR Newsletter No. 6: ASN remains vigilant and is pursuing its inspection

Between 1 April and 30 June 2009, seven events were classified as Grade 1 on the ASN-SFRO scale. These events, not expected to have health consequences for the patients, are nonetheless analysed for lessons learned (particularly in terms of organisation) and to ensure they do not reoccur.

Published on 17/07/2009 at 16:04

Quarterly report on Grade-1 radiotherapy events (second quarter of 2009)

Between 1 April and 30 June 2009, seven events were classified as Grade 1 on the ASN-SFRO scale. These events, not expected to have health consequences for the patients, are nonetheless analysed for lessons learned (particularly in terms of organisation) and to ensure they do not reoccur.

Published on 10/07/2009 at 16:07

The ASN adopts a position on small-beam radiotherapy treatments (radiosurgery)

In a letter from its Chairman, André-Claude Lacoste, dated 1st July (available on the ASN website, www.asn.fr), the ASN informed EDF that it had not identified any generic problem that might cause it to doubt EDF’s capacity to assure the safety of their 900-MW reactors up to the age of forty years.

Published on 07/07/2009 at 16:14

International Scientific Seminar on Seismic Risk and Nuclear Safety

The international scientific seminar on seismic risk in nuclear installations, held in Strasbourg on 17 June 2009 and organised by the ASN in conjunction with the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (ENSI) and the Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), allowed the ASN to identify various ways in which regulations concerning seismic risk could be modernised.

Published on 07/07/2009 at 16:12

Extension of the operating lifetime of 900-MWe nuclear reactors up to 40 years

On 1 July 2009, the French Nuclear Safety Authority (Autorité de sûreté nucléaire – ASN), in a letter from its Chairman, Mr André-Claude Lacoste, informed Electricité de France (EDF), the French electrical utility that ASN had not identified any generic problems capable of jeopardising EDF’s capability to ensure the safety of its 900-MWe reactors up to 40 years.

Published on 04/05/2009 at 00:00

12 international experts coordinated by the AIEA

The French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN), at its request, had an “Integrated Regulatory Review Service” (IRRS) international audit mission conducted from 29 March to 3 April 2009.