This Wednesday morning, in the Council of Ministers, the Minister of Energy Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher presented a bill relating to the organization and governance of nuclear safety. The matter is thorny. It concerns the merger of the Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) with the Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN). A few months ago, this project sparked an outcry from associations, elected officials and the IRSN itself, openly hostile to this merger. A simple amendment in the nuclear acceleration law, it was ultimately withdrawn so as not to hinder the adoption of this first text, finally voted on in June.
This time, the ASN/IRSN merger which would give birth to the Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Authority (ASNR) is therefore the subject of an ad hoc text and a lot of education on the part of the government. “This text relates to the organization of nuclear safety, it does not affect the framework in any way,” affirms those close to Agnès Pannier-Runacher. The text should be examined in plenary session in the Senate on February 7 before a first vote six days later.
The Ministry of Energy Transition justifies this merger in the context of nuclear relaunch, highlighting three pillars: the transparency of information, the necessary strengthening of attractiveness to attract talent and the strengthening of research.
The evolution of the French nuclear landscape is therefore highlighted to justify the need for this reform. Four main themes are discussed. On the one hand, the continued operation of the 56 reactors in operation and the construction of new pressurized water reactors (EPR 2). But also the development of disruptive technologies, with small modular reactors (SMR) with molten salts and sodium. Also, France’s support for various research programs (Iter and Jules Horowitch), as well as the need to strengthen all stages linked to the management of fuel, uranium.
“The French nuclear industry was dormant over the previous decade. It faces a lasting change of scale, with new safety and acceptability challenges, and the need to maintain excellence in nuclear control and radiation protection,” insists the minister’s office. A sign that certain arguments have been heard, an increase in salaries is proposed in the text of the law, involving increases of 10 to 15% for ASN and IRSN staff. That is to say an envelope of nearly 15 million euros, the allocation of which is conditional on the passing of the law. Not enough to silence concerns. On Wednesday morning, around 250 IRSN employees, according to AFP, marched in Paris, from Place Blanche to Place Saint-Augustin, not far from the Élysée.
