ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2020

The Nuclear Safety Authority presents its report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2020.

This report is required by Article L. 592-31 of the Environment Code.

It was submitted to the President of the Republic,  the Prime Minister and the Presidents of the Senate and the National Assembly and  transmitted to the Parliamentary Office for the  Evaluation of Scientific and Technological Choices, pursuant to the above-mentioned Article.

Learning lessons from this situation to strengthen a culture of anticipation and precaution

The year 2020 was profoundly marked by the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. ASN considers that the level of nuclear safety and radiation protection achieved remained satisfactory and that those responsible for nuclear activities were able to adapt and cope with the situation.

In early 2021, the health crisis is still not over and prudence is required with regard to the lessons to be learned, in an uncertain and changing context.

ASN considers that this situation raises systemic questions which could apply, in the same terms, in the event of a nuclear crisis. This notably concerns trust in scientific expertise and in the authorities by the population and the conditions determining the acceptability of the restrictive population protection measures.

More generally, ASN considers that the first analyses of the problems encountered during this health crisis confirm the absolute need, which it has regularly underlined, to strengthen the culture of anticipation and precaution among all those concerned by nuclear matters.