News archives

All the latest news from the French Nuclear Safety Authority from 28 February 1999 to 2 January 2025.
The latest news from the French Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Authority (ASNR) is now published on the www.asnr.fr website.

479 news

Published on 17/11/2011 at 09:30

Complementary Safety Assessments (CSA)

On completion of the Complementary Safety Assessment (CAS) process engaged further to its decisions of 5 May 2011, ASN will present its conclusions on these CAS at the beginning of 2012.

Published on 07/11/2011 at 14:30

Recommendations about the risk factors involved in childhood leukaemia

On 7 November 2011, the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN), the Directorate General for Health (DGS) and the Directorate General for Risk Prevention (DGPR) issued a report including an inventory of current knowledge of childhood leukaemia and recommendations for new studies and research required to drive progress in this area.

Published on 20/10/2011 at 15:23

First European directive on radioactive waste and spent fuel management

On 19 July 2011, the Council of the European Union adopted a directive “establishing a Community framework for the responsible and safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste” (Council Directive 2011/70/Euratom). The adoption of this directive, two years after the nuclear safety directive was adopted, is an important event and helps to reinforce nuclear safety within the European Union, while ensuring that Member States assume responsibility for managing their radioactive waste and spent fuel.

Published on 10/10/2011 at 11:09

Industrial accident at the Centraco facility: Level 1 on the INES scale

The accident that occurred on Monday, September 12, 2011 in the melting furnace of the Centraco facility in Codolet (Gard) caused the death of an employee and injured four others, one of them severely. The three workers who were slightly injured were allowed to return home the day after the accident. The one who was severely injured is still hospitalized in the Paris region. None of them show signs of radioactive contamination.

Published on 22/09/2011 at 17:58

Tripartite agreement between France, Switzerland and the CERN

On 28th August 2011 the Official Journal published the decree of the agreement, signed in Geneva on 15 November 2010 [1], on the protection against ionising radiation and the safety of the facilities at CERN (European Organisation for Nuclear Research).

Published on 14/09/2011 at 12:38

Complementary safety assessments – Press Release, 14th September 2011

The accident that occurred on 11th March 2011 at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station in Japan, following an earthquake and tsunami of exceptional magnitude, is a major event from which every possible lesson should be drawn.

The French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN), which in charge of monitoring French nuclear installations, has ensured that a process of extensive in-depth feedback regarding the accident at Fukushima has been swiftly undertaken. This will be a long process. It will take several years, as was the case after the accidents at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl.

Published on 12/09/2011 at 17:21

EPR Reactor: Information Letter n°11

Since 2008, several inspections by ASN have examined the prestressing system[1] of the Reactor Building containment. During construction of the first concreting lifts of the inner containment wall, EDF notified ASN of noncompliance issues relating to the prestressing system (see Information Notice No. 8).

In May 2011, new noncompliance issues regarding positioning of portions of the prestressing sheaths were identified. In addition to occasional deviations, ASN found that recurring anomalies in the system indicated a lack of preparation, skills and training in safety culture on the part of workers and shortcomings in EDF’s monitoring of its subcontractors. As a result, ASN requested EDF to suspend concreting of the inner containment wall on 23 June 2011 and to present an action plan to avoid any further deviations in constructing the prestressing sheaths.

Published on 12/09/2011 at 15:59

Information on the accident in Centraco (Gard) : press release #1

ASN, the French Nuclear Safety Authority, activated its emergency centre located in Paris XII at 12.30 following the accident that took place in Centraco (centre for treatment and conditioning of low level radioactive waste) located in Codolet near Marcoule (Gard, South-East of France).

Published on 22/08/2011 at 10:22

Quarterly assessment of radiotherapy events

Between 1 April and 30 June 2011, twenty-four significant radiation protection events occurring during radiotherapy were classified as level 1 on the ASN-SFRO scale. The events, which are not expected to have any impact on patients' health, were nevertheless analysed to see if any lessons can be learnt from them (particularly in terms of organisation) and to avoid any recurrence.

Published on 18/08/2011 at 18:55

Liquid radioactive and chemical effluent discharge at the Cruas-Meysse site

On 28 July 2011, the ASN Commission adopted a temporary decision relating to effluent discharge from the Cruas-Meysse nuclear power plant.

The decision, which responds to a request submitted by EDF on 1 June 2011, was the subject of a technical and administrative investigation by ASN, a public consultation by the departmental councils on the environment and health and technological risks in Drome and Ardeche and a public consultation by the local information committee in Cruas.

Published on 01/08/2011 at 18:58

Osiris and Isis experimental reactors may continue to operate

In its assessment of 27 May 2011 (2011-AV-0121), ASN determined that the Osiris reactor can continue operation until 2015, at which time the reactor should be shut down in compliance with ASN Commission decision 2008-DC-0013 of 16 September 2008. For its part, the Isis reactor can continue to operate for an additional ten years from the date on which its most recent safety review file was submitted, i.e., until 2019. The two experimental reactors constitute basic nuclear installation 40 operated by the CEA in the municipality of Saclay (Essonne)[1].

Published on 26/07/2011 at 15:07

CSA: ASN issues its opinion concerning the methodologies adopted by the operators

By the resolutions taken on 5 May 2011, the French Nuclear Safety Authority (Autorité de sûreté nucléaire – ASN) has required all operators of relevant basic nuclear installations, including AREVA, the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives – CEA), the French national power utility (Électricité de France – EDF) and the Laue-Langevin Institute (ILL[1]) to submit by 1 June 2011 at the latest, a memorandum describing the methodology they adopted in order to conduct the complementary safety assessment (évaluation complémentaire de la sûreté – ECS) for some of their installations with respect to the nuclear accident that occurred at the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Japan, on 11 March 2011.