France: Nuclear safety: an “unjustified” reform

"The relaunch of the project to merge the French nuclear safety institutions has raised the alarm of the unions, who denounce the potential consequences, stating that this reform will permanently disorganize the system without clear justification from the powers that be, and ignoring the risks and impacts identified by employee representatives. The intersyndicale is calling for vigorous opposition from all concerned to protect employee interests and preserve transparency and expertise in the field of nuclear safety."

Share:

The merger of France’s two nuclear safety institutions “will bring lasting disruption to the system”, reacted the trade unions of the Institut de Radioprotection et Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN) on Thursday, the day after the Elysée announced the relaunch of the project.

Controversial nuclear reform: unions warn of potential consequences

“The government has still not justified its project”, and conversely has not “identified” its risks and consequences, stress the CFDT, CGT and CFE-CGC unions in a press release.

A Nuclear Policy Council convened by Emmanuel Macron relaunched plans to merge the ASN and IRSN, after an initial attempt was rejected by Parliament in April. The Elysée cites a report produced by two elected members of Opecst (Office parlementaire des choix scientifiques), which concludes that it is necessary to merge the two institutions in view of the expected increase in workload with the revival of the atom.

But for the inter-union group, this report “partial, biased and irrelevant (…) cannot serve as a basis for launching a reform of such scope, unless one considers that this reform is above all political”.

“This reform, undertaken at a time when IRSN and ASN employees have already been working for several months on the nuclear revival program, will cause lasting disruption to the system and lead to resignations,” she warns. “No one can believe that a reform on this scale will lead to a new operational organization in one year”, she adds, referring to the Opecst report’s wish to complete the reform by the end of 2024.

Employee representatives list other risks: disorganization of safety expertise for national defense installations, inability to participate in major research projects, disappearance of commercial activities, loss of transparency… Finally, they expressed alarm at the fate of the Institute’s employees, who would be left “in the lurch”, calling on “employees of IRSN, ASN, the nuclear industry, researchers, citizens and members of parliament to strongly oppose this project”.

Bahrain has concluded a civil nuclear agreement with the United States and formalised a commitment of $17bn in public investments in the US market, further strengthening bilateral cooperation.
Kairos Power has installed the vessel for its third test prototype in Oak Ridge, aiming to validate manufacturing methods for its future Hermes reactor supported by the US Department of Energy.
London and Prague formalise a strategic partnership to develop the nuclear sector, focusing on small modular reactors and industrial cooperation on supply chains.
Experts have broadly approved France’s Cigéo deep nuclear waste repository project, highlighting technical uncertainties that demand stronger guarantees for long-term safety.
Uzbekistan advances its nuclear project by signing a protocol with Hungary for the supply and local assembly of dry cooling systems, expanding its industrial partnerships in the region.
Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe is asking the European Commission to review its $49bn investment to build Poland’s first nuclear power plant, a step required under the Euratom Treaty before any construction permit can be issued.
The International Atomic Energy Agency mission completed on July 11 warns that the National Nuclear Safety Administration must hire staff to oversee a fleet of 59 reactors in operation and 32 more under construction.
Energoatom signed strategic agreements with Westinghouse and Holtec at the Ukraine Recovery Conference, aiming to establish nuclear fuel production and small modular reactor capabilities in the country.
Tehran agrees to reopen its nuclear facilities to the IAEA, aiming to resume negotiations with Washington, while Moscow pushes for a “zero enrichment” agreement without getting involved in supervision.
TerraPower has selected three new American suppliers for its advanced Natrium nuclear reactor, confirming progress on the project located in Kemmerer, Wyoming, intended to replace a retiring coal-fired power plant.
Energy Exploration Technologies acquires Daytona Lithium, an Australian subsidiary of Pantera Lithium, for AUD40mn ($27mn), bringing its strategic lithium basin footprint in Smackover, USA to nearly 50,000 acres.
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has identified no major barriers to licensing the ARC-100 reactor, announces ARC Clean Technology.
SE Ignalina, the Lithuanian nuclear operator, has signed a memorandum of understanding with French firm Newcleo to explore the integration of small modular reactors (SMRs) using lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR) technology in Lithuania.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi oversaw the signing of new agreements for the construction of the El Dabaa nuclear power plant, thus strengthening the strategic cooperation between Egypt and Russia.
Vistra Corp receives green light to extend Perry nuclear plant operations in Ohio by 20 years, securing regional electricity supply until 2046 and ensuring operational continuity for all its nuclear reactors in the United States.
EDF will hold a 12.5% stake in the Sizewell C nuclear project in the UK, a €1.3 billion investment announced during Emmanuel Macron’s official visit to London, confirming the strategic nuclear energy alignment between the two countries.
The French Cigéo project, designed to bury the most hazardous radioactive waste deep underground, obtains a crucial technical validation before its final authorization, expected by the end of 2027.
EDF confirms the continuation of its industrial project in Fessenheim for recycling very low-level radioactive metals, a first in France requiring specific regulatory authorizations, following a public debate concluded last February.
NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. formalizes its collaboration with UrAmerica Ltd. to strengthen Argentina’s uranium supply, aiming to secure future nuclear fuel supply chains for the U.S. market.
American companies SHINE Technologies and Standard Nuclear partner to recycle uranium and plutonium, supplying advanced fuel to the nuclear reactor sector and enhancing the national energy security of the United States.