News releases

All the news about nuclear safety and radiation protection

473 news

Published on 19/07/2024 at 14:30

EPR Reactor: Information Letter n°25

In late 2023 and early 2024, ASN continued its monitoring of the construction of the Flamanville EPR reactor. It notably checked: the preparation for and performance of hot testing at the end of 2023, to verify the ability of the systems to perform their safety functions during hot operation of the reactor, prior to commissioning, preparedness of the teams who will be operating the reactor, prior to commissioning, the conformity of the nuclear pressure equipment, which notably includes completion of the quality review, the processing of the irregularities affecting certain equipment, and equipment conservation, completion of the installation before commissioning, whether in terms of works, processing of anomalies and start-up tests, with detailed monitoring of the progress of these actions, up until reactor commissioning, the start-up operations following commissioning, notably loading of fuel into the reactor vessel and analysis of the experience feedback from the significant events reported.

Published on 17/07/2024 at 10:46

The ASN reiterates the importance of taking radiotherapy history

The radiotherapy accident, reported to the ASN in June 2024 and classified at level 4 on the ASN-SFRO scale, related to the failure to take account of a previous radiotherapy treatment, is a reminder of the high stakes involved in radiation protection in this field.

Published on 17/07/2024 at 09:54

Radiotherapy accident

External radiotherapy is a treatment technique that uses ionising radiation generated by a particle accelerator to destroy cancer cells. The ionising radiation is administered to the area to be treated in one or more fractions, delivered over one or more days.

Published on 09/07/2024 at 10:37

External contamination of a worker

On 13 June 2024, the licensee of the Tricastin NPP notified ASN of a significant radiation protection event concerning the potential exceeding of a statutory annual individual dose limit for a contractor from an external company.

Published on 27/06/2024 at 08:41

50th meeting of the Franco-German Commission

The 50th meeting of the Franco-German Commission was held on 19 and 20 June in Berlin and Wannsee, respectively, under the chairmanship of Gerrit Niehaus, Director General for Nuclear Safety and Radiological Protection of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUV), and Géraldine Pina, ASN Commissioner.

Published on 10/06/2024 at 16:10

ASN’s Advisory Committee/License application to build a deep geological repository

On January 16, 2023, Andra submitted a license application to build a deep geological repository named Cigéo to the French Ministry for Energy Transition. In March 2023, this Ministry requested the ASN to lead the technical review of Andra’s application. In June 2023, the ASN deemed the application admissible and referred the technical part of the application to the Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) for a comprehensive review. The ASN also planned to call on its Advisory Committee on Waste (GPD) as part of this review.

Published on 21/05/2024 at 10:57

ASN Report on the State of Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection in France in 2023

On May 16, ASN presented its Report on the State of Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection in France in 2023 to the parliamentarians of the Parliamentary Office for the Evaluation of Scientific and Technical Choices (OPECST). On this occasion, ASN presented the subjects on which it was being particularly vigilant with regard to the new nuclear ambitions.

Published on 08/05/2024 at 13:45

ASN authorise commissioning of the Flamanville EPR reactor

In a resolution of 7 May 2024, ASN authorised commissioning of the Flamanville EPR reactor. This authorisation allows EDF to load nuclear fuel into the reactor and carry out start-up tests, followed by operation of the reactor.