The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

The IAEA was created in 1957 with a mandate to promote the safe use of nuclear technologies for peaceful purposes. It is an organisation of the United Nations family which in January 2014 comprised 161 member States.

As far as ASN's areas of competence are concerned, the activities of the IAEA consist more particularly in:

  • Organising working groups at various levels and drafting texts called "Safety Standards" describing safety principles and practices; the member States can use these texts as a basis for their national regulations.
  • Providing the member States with "services" intended to give them opinions on specific aspects concerning safety.
     This category includes the missions of OSART (Operational SAfety Review Team), IRRS (Integrated Regulatory Review Service), TranSAS (TRANsport Safety Appraisal Service).
  • in cooperation with the NEA of the OECD, harmonisation of the communication tools with increasingly wide use of the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) by the member countries. 

The IAEA audits in France

The IRRS missions

Logo Unscear

At the request of ASN, an “Integrated Regulatory Review Service” (IRRS) international peer review mission took place from 16th to 28th November 2014. , This audit looked into all the activities regulated and monitored by ASN. It was held in accordance with the European directive on nuclear security, which requires a peer review mission to be organised every 10 years.

The IRRS mission, coordinated by the IAEA, was headed by Mr. Mark Satorius, the Executive Director for Operations of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and by Dr. Ann McGarry, Director of radiation protection at the Irish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It was carried out by 29 experts from the nuclear safety and radiation protection regulatory bodies of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cuba, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Japan, Morocco, Norway, Pakistan, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States and the IAEA itself.

The reviewers examined the strengths and weaknesses of the French nuclear safety and radiation protection oversight system with regard to IAEA standards. They met with staff from ASN in Paris and in the regions, as well as from the relevant Government departments. Mr. Satorius and Dr. Mc Garry also held a meeting with the member of Parliament Jean-Yves Le Déaut, the Chairman of the OPECST (Parliament Office for the Evaluation of Scientific and Technologic Issues). By taking part in a number of inspections on nuclear installations, the reviewers were also able to evaluate the field checks carried out by ASN.

The conclusions of the mission were presented to ASN on 28th November 2014 and were the subject of an IAEA press release.

The IAEA report was transmitted March 20, 2015 to the French Nuclear Safety Authority

The previous IRRS missions

The previous “full scope” mission was held from 5th to 17th November 2006. This mission was carried out by sixteen experts from nuclear safety regulators from 16 different countries. A corresponding follow-up mission took place in 2009.

Follow-up mission in 2006

ASN received a follow-up mission in 2009

ASN considers that IRRS missions make a significant contribution to the international nuclear safety and radiation protection system. Then, ASN headquaters officers are regularly involved in IRRS missions that are organized in other countries. ASN Commissioner Philippe Jamet and Director General Jean-Christophe Niel thus led IRRS missions in Finland and Switzerland respectively. Commissioner Margot Tirmarche will conduct the IRRS mission in Ireland scheduled for 2015.

The OSART missions

For the standards that concern the nuclear licensees, the OSART (Operational Safety Review Team) missions mobilise a team of experts from the nuclear safety authorities of third countries who audit a nuclear facility. The objective of the missions is to perform an in-depth and critical examination of the operational safety of the nuclear power plants. All the French nuclear power plants have now undergone an OSART mission.  

In addition to OSART missions, Corporate OSART missions are also achieved in central services. Launched in 2013, such missions are organized to review the overall management of a licensee (EDF in France) that affects all the operational safety aspects of the nuclear power plants.

The reports (in English) of the OSART missions carried out in France are accessible below:

 

NPP

Mission dates

Report (PDF)

IAEA No.

Follow-up mission dates

32

Civaux

30 sptember- 17 october 2019

31

Flamanville

17 june- 4 july 2019

206

30

Bugey

2 - 19 October 2017

197

29

Golfech

10 – 27 October 2016

190

28

Dampierre

31 August - 17 September 2015

Read the report

184

20 - 24 February 2017

27

Corporate OSART

24 November - 9 December 2014

Read the report

182

7 – 10 November 2016

26

Flamanville
(reactors 1 and 2)

6 – 23 October 2014

Read the report

179

 28 November – 2 December2016

25

Chooz

17 June - 4 July 2013

Read the report

 175

 1 – 5 June 2015

24

Gravelines

12 - 29 November 2012

Read the report

173

19 – 23 May 2014

23

Cattenom

14 November - 1er December 2011

Read the report

166

3 - 7 June 2013

22

Saint-Alban

20 September - 6 October 2010

Read the report

158

19 - 23 March 2012

21

Fessenheim

23 March - 8 April

Read the report

152

7 - 11 February 2011

20

Cruas

24 November -
 11 December 2008

Read the report

148

13 - 17 December 2010

19

Chinon

27 November - 14 December 2007

Read the report

144

7 - 11 December 2009

18

Saint Laurent

25 November - 14 December 2006

Read the report

138F

6 - 10 October 2008

17

Blayais

2 - 18 May 2005

Read the report

131F

6 - 10 November 2006

16

Penly

29 November -
 15 December 2004

Read the report

128

2 - 5 May 2006

15

Civaux

12 - 28 May 2003

Read the report

118F

6 - 10 December 2004

14

Nogent

20 January - 6 February 2003

Read the report

117F

15 - 19 November 2004

13

Tricastin

14 - 31 January 2002

Read the report

114

17 - 25 November 2003

12

Belleville

9 - 26 October 2000

Read the report

108

13 - 17 May 2002

11

Bugey

8 - 25 March 1999

Read the report

104

5 - 9 June 2000

10

Golfech

26 October -
 12 November 1998

Read the report

100

6 - 10 March 2000

9

Paluel

12 - 30 January 1998

Read the report

98

21 - 25 June 1999

8

Dampierre

11 - 29 November 1996

Read the report

93

15 - 19 June 1998

7

Flamanville

30 January -
 16 February 1995

Read the report

78

3 - 7 June 1996

6

Cattenom

14 - 31 March 1994

Read the report

70

12 - 16 June 1995

5

Gravelines

15 March -
 2 April 1993

Read the report

66

7 - 10 November 1994

4

Fessenheim

9 - 27 March 1992

Read the report

58

-

3

Blayais

13 - 31 January 1992

Read the report

57

-

2

Saint Alban

20 October -
 10 November 1988

Read the report

18

-

1

Tricastin

4 - 29 October 1985

 

7

-

 

The TRANSAS missions

In 2002, France asked the IAEA to assess its organisation of the transport of radioactive materials and application of the international regulations. The subsequent TranSAS (Transport Safety Appraisal Service) mission ran from 29th March to 8th April 2004. The team that carried out the mission comprised fourteen experts from nine different countries (Germany, Canada, Egypt, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand and Panama) and included two experts and one technical writer from the IAEA.

The mission's assessment report indicated three broad categories:

  1. recommendations on the areas in which ASN must bring improvements pursuant to the international regulations;
  2. suggestions concerning the areas in which ASN could improve its effectiveness;
  3. good practices which can serve as models for other competent authorities in the transport of radioactive materials.

The report contains three recommendations, sixteen suggestions and twelve good practices. It concludes that the international regulations are applied in accordance with IAEA requirements and that improvements can be made, particularly with regard to the updating of the guides and procedures, and that it has formal proof that all the requirements are effectively satisfied.

The good practices noted by the TranSAS mission concern maritime transport and emergency situation preparedness in particular.

A follow-up mission carried out in November 2006 found that the actions relative to all the recommendations and suggestions had either been completed or were well under way.