The ''Autorité de sûreté nucléaire'' (, ASN) is an independent French administrative authority set up by law 2006-686 of 13 June 2006 concerning nuclear transparency and

security Security is protection from, or resilience against, potential harm (or other unwanted coercion). Beneficiaries (technically referents) of security may be persons and social groups, objects and institutions, ecosystems, or any other entity or ...

. It has replaced the General Direction for Nuclear Safety and Radioprotection. Its task, on behalf of the State, is to regulate nuclear safety and

radiation protection Radiation protection, also known as radiological protection, is defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as "The protection of people from harmful effects of exposure to ionizing radiation, and the means for achieving this". Exposu ...

in order to protect workers, patients, the public and the environment from the risks involved in nuclear activities. It also contributes to informing the citizens. From 2006 to 2012, the president of the ASN was André-Claude Lacoste who was also a founding member and had been chairman of the International Nuclear Regulators' Association (INRA) and the Western European Nuclear Regulators' Association (WENRA). He was also the chairman of the Commission on Safety Standards (CSS) of the

IAEA The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 1957 ...

. Since November 2018, the president of the ASN is Bernard Doroszczuk. Early during the

Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster The Fukushima nuclear accident was a major nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Ōkuma, Fukushima, Japan, which began on 11 March 2011. The cause of the accident was the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, which r ...

, the ASN stated that they believed the events unfolding should be rated a 5 or even a 6 on the

International Nuclear Event Scale The International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) was introduced in 1990 by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in order to enable prompt communication of safety significant information in case of nuclear accidents. The s ...

when the

Japan Atomic Energy Agency The Japan Atomic Energy Agency is a Japanese atomic energy company. While it inherited the activities of both Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute, JNC and Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, JAERI, it also inherited the nickname of J ...

had listed them a day before as a level 4 event. Later on they said they believed the situation had surpassed that of a level 5 event and moved to a level 6. Their opinion was shared by the Finnish nuclear authorities. During 2015 and 2016 major nuclear safety issues arose, following a discovery at the

Flamanville Nuclear Power Plant The Flamanville Nuclear Power Plant is located at Flamanville, Manche, France on the Cotentin Peninsula. The power plant houses three pressurized water reactors (PWRs). Unit 1 and 2, rated 1.3 GWe each, and based on Westinghouse design, were o ...

, concerning about 400 large steel forgings manufactured by

Areva Areva S.A. was a French multinational group specializing in nuclear power, active between 2001 and 2018. It was headquartered in Courbevoie, France. Before its 2016 corporate restructuring, Areva was majority-owned by the French state through t ...

's Le Creusot Forge since 1965 that had carbon-content irregularities that weakened the steel. A widespread programme of reactor checks was started leading to 20 of France's 58 reactors being offline in October 2016. These steel quality concerns may prevent the regulator giving the life extensions from 40 to 50 years, that had been assumed by energy planners, for many reactors. Le Creusot Forge had maintained concealed files which had now been disclosed to ASN following new management by

. ASN characterised the current situation in January 2017 as worrying. In April 2017 ASN published the requirements for forging to resume at Le Creusot Forge, which has been out of operation since December 2015. In 2018 ASN introduced stricter monitoring of component production in response to the problems found at Creusot Forge. In 2025, it merged with IRSN to become ASNR.https://www.irsn.fr/actualites/creation-lautorite-surete-nucleaire-radioprotection-asnr

References

External links

* 2006 establishments in France Governmental nuclear organizations Nuclear regulatory organizations Nuclear safety in France Radiation protection organizations {{Nuclear-power-stub

See also

References

External links