ASN independence: enhanced regulation and transparency

To usher in the new year, the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN), in the person of Mr André-Claude Lacoste, Chairman, Mr Marc Sanson, commissioner, and Mr Jean Christophe Niel, Director General, presented its best wishes to the press on 20 January.

ASN – vigilant surveillance of radioactivity in the environment

With a view to advancing nuclear regulation in France, ASN brought in an approval procedure on 1 January 2009 for laboratories measuring radioactivity in the environment.

Quarterly report on Grade-1 radiotherapy events reported to the ASN, classified using the ASN-SFRO scale – Third quarter of 2008

The ASN (French Nuclear Safety Authority) is publishing its first quarterly report on Grade-1 radiotherapy events, classified using the ASN-SFRO scale.

The European Commission has adopted an amended proposal for the directive on the safety of nuclear installations

On Wednesday 26th November 2008, the European Commission adopted an amended proposal for the directive establishing a regulatory framework for nuclear safety.

EDF nuclear power plant of Cruas-Meysse

ASN is giving EDF formal notice to bring the Cruas-Meysse nuclear power plant up to standard with regard to the risk of explosion.

Reactor no. 2 of the nuclear power plant of TRICASTIN : The French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) assesses that the new technical solution proposed by France's Electric Power Company (EDF) is satisfactory.

On 8 September 2008 during the fuel unloading operation on the no. 2 reactor of the EDF nuclear power plant of Tricastin, two fuel assemblies remained stuck to the upper internal structures of the reactor vessel.

Flamanville 3 : The French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) enacts prescriptions for the EPR reactor being built at Flamanville in the Manche Department, France

In application of the Act on transparency and security in the nuclear field (TSN) of 13 June 2006, ASN defined by a decision of 26 September 2008 the prescriptions for the Flamanville 3 EPR reactor currently being built on the Flamanville site.

Mafelec company: ASN to issue a report

ASN was notified on the evening of 7th October 2008 by the Isère prefecture of the presence of radiation emitted by lift buttons delivered by the company Mafelec. This company has approximately 200 employees.

Radiological protection incident at the MAFELEC site (Isère)

On the evening of 7th October 2008 ASN was notified by the Isère prefecture of a radiological protection event involving the Mafelec site in Chimilin (Isère).

The French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) evaluates before being able to give its authorization the technical solution proposed by France's Electric Power Company (EDF) to recover the two fuel assemblies

On 8 September 2008 during the fuel unloading operation on the Tricastin no. 2 reactor of the EDF nuclear power plant, two fuel assemblies remained stuck to the upper internal holding structures of the reactor vessel.

Contamination of a hundred workers at Tricastin nuclear power plant (Drôme, France)

On 23 July 2008, ASN has been informed by EDF management of Tricastin NPP that during reactor 4 outage for maintenance works and for fuel reloading, a hundred workers had been contaminated.

The ASN maintains monitoring measures in the region of Tricastin after the lifting of measures restricting water use

On the 21st of July 2008, ASN proposed to the Préfet of Vaucluse that restrictions on water use in the region of Tricastin imposed by the order of the Préfet of July 11 2008 could be lifted on condition that the SOCATRI licensee implements comprehensive provisions for the monitoring of surface and ground waters until the end of August 2008.

Radiological protection incident at Mafelec (Isère) ASN reclassifies the event to level 2 on the INES scale

ASN was notified on 7th October 2008 by the Isère prefecture of a radiological protection incident that had occurred at Mafelec's Chimilin site relating to radiation emitted by lift buttons manufactured by the company.

Rupture of an underground pipe of uranium liquid discharges at the FBFC plant in Romans-sur-Isere (Drôme)

On July 17 2008 at 5 pm, the Franco-Belgian fuel manufacturing plant (FBFC), group AREVA-NP, located in Romans-sur-Isere in the French Drôme département, informed ASN of the rupture of an underground pipe of uranium liquid discharges.

Spillage of uranium-bearing effluents into the environment at the SOCATRI nuclear facility (Vaucluse, France)

During the night of July 7 to 8 2008, an incident occurred at the site of the SOCATRI company. A tank of the Uranium-bearing Effluent Treatment Station (STEU) of the SOCATRI facility overflowed in its retention tank. This retention tank was not leakproof at that time and caused a pollution of the environment.