THE QUESTION OF WASTE, WHICH LIES AT THE HEART OF PUBLIC CONCERNS, IS THE SUBJECT OF SPECIFIC DISCUSSIONS Radioactive waste management remains the most controversial subject with regard to risk management, as shown by the latest survey conducted in 2023 by the Kantar company, at ASN’s request. At present, there is a management solution for 90% of the volume of the waste, although this represents only 10% of the radioactivity contained. Pending the arrival of dedicated management routes, this means that there must be safe storage solutions for significant periods of time. Radioactive waste management in France does however benefit from internationally recognised advantages such as the National Radioactive Materials and Waste Management Plan (PNGMDR), an agency dedicated to waste management (Andra), well-operated disposal facilities and the Cigéo geological disposal project, now recognised as being in the public interest. For the purposes of examining this project, ASN launched a specific and voluntary consultation process in 2023, designed to ensure participation by the stakeholders. Two workshops were thus held in preparation for referral to the IRSN and then to the advisory committee, in order to enrich the content of these referrals and structure the public information process. ASN RAMPS UP ITS INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES At a time of renewed enthusiasm for nuclear energy, international relations are continuing at a steady pace, leading to the signing of a large number of cooperation agreements between ASN and its counterparts, leading to the development of exchange programmes on high-stakes issues. This intense international activity was also an opportunity to go into greater depth on subjects of common interest for the safety regulators, such as the continued operation of reactors beyond their envisaged design lifetimes, or the management of radioactive waste. This intensification also allowed the definition of common international positions. For example, various initiatives were launched internationally to promote the standardisation and harmonisation of regulatory approaches for the SMRs. ASN participates actively in this, notably by promoting cooperation between regulators. ASN considers that international harmonisation of the authorisation processes, often underlined by the developers of these projects as a pre-requisite for the deployment of SMRs, is in fact an illusion, given the specific nature of each country. On the other hand, ASN does consider that the joint review by several regulators of the design options for a given project, upstream of the authorisation process, would be such as to facilitate the development of a standardised design. The conflict in Ukraine, which is one of the topics dealt with by WENRA and by the Heads of the European Radiological Protection Competent Authorities (HERCA), remains a subject of concern and of particular vigilance for the regulators. In this respect, WENRA issued a position statement in June 2023 indicating that the destruction of the Khakovka dam did not represent a threat to the safety of the reactors of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). HERCA continued its work to harmonise the population protection measures for Ukraine’s European neighbours in the event of an accident in the Zaporizhzhia NPP. ASN is also continuing its involvement in the international bodies. It is acting as HERCA Chair for three years, with the aim of helping to achieve a high level of radiation protection in Europe. n ABSTRACTS – ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2023 7 Editorial by the Commission
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