Facilities in operation ASN considers that the safety of the facilities in operation is satisfactory. During the course of the inspections carried out in 2023, it nonetheless identified certain topics which require improvements. This mainly concerns management of the fire risk, but also waste management, safety commissions and on-site permits, periodic checks and tests, organisational and human factors, as well as the prevention of pollution and management of detrimental effects. The main new facility project sponsored by CEA, the Jules Horowitz Reactor (JHR), is being carried out satisfactorily and transparently. RISK CONTROL AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT The significant delays in constructing more robust emergency management buildings, taking account of the lessons learned from the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi NPP (Japan), are undermining emergency management in several centres. With regard to the new emergency management premises on the Saclay site, ASN set a new deadline for commissioning the emergency management premises of 31 December 2024. Concerning the Marcoule centre, additional justifications are required regarding the operability and accessibility of the emergency management building. A number of emergency exercises carried out in 2023 jointly with the public authorities, also revealed that CEA needs to supplement its organisation in order to provide an effective response to operational requirements, notably regarding the exchange of information with the other emergency management players. PERSONNEL RADIATION PROTECTION The organisation put into place by CEA for radiation protection of workers is satisfactory. ASN has no remarks concerning the working of the CEA radiation protection expertise centres. The inspections performed by ASN in 2023 on the CEA sites revealed radiological zoning anomalies that CEA will have to correct. ASN will be vigilant on this point, as well as on monitoring of outside contractors in terms of radiation protection. The number of ESRs reported by CEA is slightly down in 2023. However, more than one third are linked to failure to wear dosimeters (whether passive or active), mostly by outside contractors. CEA must take steps to raise the awareness of these personnel and ensure that this is effective. This will then be checked by ASN. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION For the year 2023, control of the detrimental effects and impact of the CEA facilities on the environment is on the whole satisfactory. The number of deviations (Significant Environmental Protection Events – ESEs) in 2023 is of the same order of magnitude as in previous years, with no notable events (only events rated level 0 on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale – INES, or out of the INES scale). ASN however considers that CEA must step up its efforts to take measures on several subjects associated with environmental protection and in particular bringing the network of piezometers back into compliance, the positioning of sampling devices in the gaseous discharge outlets and, more generally, management of the discharges continuous monitoring devices, notably with regard to pollution of soil and groundwater. Performing consolidated impact assessments, for those centres that are home to several facilities operated primarily by CEA but also by other licensees (such as Marcoule or Cadarache) should enable the main risks to be better identified, with subsequent prioritisation of the corresponding applicable requirements. SAFETY REASSESSMENT OF FACILITIES ASN considers that the organisation put into place by CEA to evaluate the conformity of its facilities and reassess their safety during the periodic safety reviews, is appropriate. The inspections carried out by ASN on the topic of the periodic safety reviews identified some points for improvement which must be addressed by CEA, notably concerning monitoring of the action plan as a result of the periodic safety review. CEA will also have to continue its efforts in the coming years in order to comply with the schedule for implementation of the compliance and safety improvement work defined by these periodic safety reviews, so that in all cases a new review can be started once the deployment of the action plan from the previous review has been completed. Individual facility assessments The ASN assessments of each centre and each nuclear facility are detailed in the Regional Overview in this report. ABSTRACTS – ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2023 25 ASN Assessments
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