RÉPUBLIQUE
FRANÇAISE

Annualreport 2019

Assess, research, protect, anticipate
and share: these are the missions of IRSN
in the service of public authorities and the
public. IRSN’s uniqueness lies in its ability
to bring together researchers and experts
to anticipate questions regarding the evolution
and control of nuclear and radiological risks.
The women and men of IRSN arecommitted to publicizing their work andsharing their knowledge with society.
They thus contribute to improving accessto information and creating the conditions
for dialogue with stakeholders.

IRSN participates in formulating government
policies on nuclear safety and security,
health, the environment and emergency
response management. A French industrial
and commercial public undertaking (EPIC)
under the joint responsibility of the Ministerfor the Environment, the Minister of Defense,
and the Ministers for Energy, Researchand Health, IRSN fully follows governmental
modernization policies as evidenced
by its approach to risk management
and the implementation of a comprehensive
policy on social responsibility.

CONTENTS

contents

ANNUAL REPORT 2019

Enhancing nuclear safety in France
and abroad

Foreword p.4
Interview p.8
Highlights p.10

priorities[01] Strategic
p.12

nuclear safety[02] Enhancing
p. 24[03] Assessing the safety of defenserelated facilities and activities
Contributing to security andnonproliferation
p. 31[04] Taking action for people
and the environmentp. 38[05] Furthering international
cooperationp. 43

the public[06] Informing
p. 47

responsibly[07] Leading
p. 50

2

Members of the Senior Management
Committee p.53
Organization chart p.54
Governing bodies p.55
Key Figures p.59
Glossary p.61

3

M ARIE-FRANCE BELLINCHAIRPERSON OF THE BOARD
OF DIRECTORS&JEAN-CHRISTOPHE NIEL
DIRECTOR
GENERALFirst of all, we would liketo pay tribute to those who,
like health care professionals,
are mobilizing day and night toensure life continues
in our country.

As we write these lines, the health emergency
resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic is seriously disrupting the daily lives of our fellow
citizens, limiting the movements of most andweighing heavily on economic activity. In these
unprecedented circumstances, we want to pay
tribute to those – first and foremost healthprofessionals – who mobilize day and night
to sustain life in our country. We also wish
to affirm here the full commitment of IRSN’s
teams, who are prepared in all circumstances topursue the mission entrusted to them: provide
excellent and independent technical assessment in the service of nuclear safety and security and radiation protection.

MARIE-FRANCE BELLIN
What does this mean for the Institute? First, it isabout improving assessments to better support
decision-making, improving research to better
anticipate and innovate, and developing staff
to ensure their full involvement. It is also about
improving interactions with our stakeholders
to better take into account their needs, and a betteruse our resources to optimize our functioning.
Finally, it is about improving fulfillment of oursocial, environmental, ethical and professional
conduct in order to better accommodate societal
changes.

For IRSN, remaining fully operational during
the health emergency is an ongoing requirement.
The Institute has mobilized and continues to do
so to this end.
IRSN is therefore pursuing its assessments
and research in order to participate in major
meetings in the fields of nuclear safety andsecurity and radiation protection in the years
to come. Commissioning of the Flamanville
EPR, extending the operating life of the reactors
beyond 40 years, dismantling facilities such as the
Fessenheim nuclear power plant, developing new
diagnostic and therapeutic tools using ionizing
radiation, increased attention in France to healthand environment issues, the effects of chronic
exposure to low doses of ionizing radiation,
possibly combined with other stressors, radonrisk management … the priorities are numerous.
To best meet the needs of public authorities,
its partners, society and its employees, in bothnormal and exceptional situations, such as theone we’re currently experiencing, IRSN is adapting
in order to perform its missions and use it
resources more efficiently.

FOREWORD

ANNUAL REPORT 2019

Foreword

To realize our ongoing goal of improving how
we perform our missions, we have developed
a long-term vision for our Institute: IRSN 2030.
This strategy for the next few years is driven by
our 2019-2023 Performance Target Agreement
and a new organization implemented in recent
months. It is the result of extensive discussion,
numerous interactions with our supervisory
ministries and other interlocutors – including thesafety authorities – and a significant mobilizationof IRSN’s women and men as part of a quality
social dialogue.

IRSN does not work alone, but interacts withmany stakeholders in nuclear safety and radiation
protection, including its supervisory ministries,
government administrations, the authorities
for whom it prepares assessments, its French
and foreign partners, industry and society more
broadly through its efforts to increase awarenessof its work.

Structured around five goals – preparing for the
future, transforming, putting our facilities to thebest use, operating effectively on a daily basis,and controlling risk – this new organization will
strengthen our capacity for assessment andinnovation by strengthening our governance,
improving our overall performance, and simplifying
our operating practices.

It will ensure better use of our experimental
platforms and data repository. It is accompaniedby the nomination of site managers to strengthen
on-site supervision and a manager for our
corporate social responsibility policy. It pools
skills, resources and funds for procurement andrisk management. The new organization highlights
another crucial issue that has been identified,innovation, with the creation of IRSN Lab, whichbrings together innovative initiatives related to theInstitute’s disciplines and operations.
IRSN funds and operates fine experimental
platforms, some of which are found nowhere
else, including the MIRCOM microbeam, researchequipment on the interaction between ionizing
radiation and cell cores, the ODOBA facility forstudying concrete aging, the PARISII platform forthe study of in vivo contamination and the DENOPI
facility for researching the thermohydraulicsof spent fuel pool uncovery.
These platforms are the foundation for
implementing our scientific strategy in supportof our expertise, and for organizing ourcollaborations. To enhance their value, bothscientific and technical as well as budgetary,a unit has been created to promote them.

To realize our ongoing goalof improvement, we have a long-term
vision for our Institute, IRSN 2030,
a strategy for the coming years,
expressed in our Performance Target
Agreement and a new organization
implemented several months ago.
JEAN-CHRISTOPHE NIEL

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE NIEL

45

FOREWORD

ANNUAL REPORT 2019

Let’s go back to the data, which come from allof IRSN’s disciplines: environmental and worker
monitoring, experiment programs, assessments,
etc. In light of the new methods and tools for
dealing with data, they represent a significant
potential for progress for IRSN. For this reason,a unit is now responsible for determining thepotential of this data in order to ultimately
increase the scientific and technical gain from
our assessments and research. In 2019, IRSN
was awarded two calls for projects from the
French Fund for Government Modernization
through Artificial Intelligence. The objectiveof the first, PIREX, is to assist in the analysis
of approximately 1,200 events which are declaredeach year by the operators of nuclear facilities,
including reactors, plants and laboratories.
The second aims to improve the data of the SISERI
database for enhanced dosimetric monitoringof workers exposed to ionizing radiation as partof their professional activity. By honoring thesetwo projects, the government also demonstrates
its recognition of IRSN’s modernization efforts.
If nuclear safety is the responsibility of governments, the European stakeholders – safety authorities, technical safety organizations (TSOs)
such as IRSN, operators – have organized networks to foster convergence in their respective
policies, making Europe a true driver for nuclear
safety worldwide.
For the European TSO Network (ETSON),of which IRSN is a founding member, nuclear
safety thus means harmonizing practices basedon sharing technical approaches and procedures
for assessments as well as on the importanceof research as a means for acquiring knowledge.

Strengthening theeffectiveness of the Instituteincludes enhancing the valueof its experimental platforms
and the data collection fromits research, monitoring
and assessment activities.
JEAN-CHRISTOPHE NIEL

6IRSN Lab was created in 2019 to bring together
innovative initiatives related to the Institute’s
disciplines and operation.

For IRSN and other ETSON members,
nuclear safety requires harmonizationof technical assessment practices andresearch projects, a tool for knowledge
acquisition.

MARIE-FRANCE BELLIN

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE NIEL
In this spirit and in compliance with still uncertain
conditions, IRSN plans to organize the EUROSAFE
Forum, ETSON’s major annual meeting of TSOs,
in November 2020. The Institute will likewise
continue to invest in European partnershipresearch, a method of organizing research thathas proved its effectiveness, as evidenced by the
14 projects selected by the European Commission
out of the 21 presented by IRSN, in consortiumwith other European TSO as part of the Euratom
Horizon 2020 call for proposals for 2019-2020.
In terms of strategy, IRSN will continue toserve ETSON’s two main objectives in 2020:
strengthening its ties with the European
Commission as well as its interactions with safety
authorities and the industry network.
A discussion of IRSN’s future must addresshuman resources, which are central to maintaining
excellence in both the assessments and researchcarried out by our teams. By implementing
a policy intended to strengthen its attractivenessin a competitive environment, the Institute aims,
in areas where skills are scarce, to recruit, train
and retain experts. Here again, the IRSN 2030
transformation process is key to maintaining
IRSN’s leading role.
The visits to IRSN’s facilities in 2019 and themeetings with its experts and researchers
by outside figures – parliamentarians,
representatives of the State, its supervisory
ministries and authorities, French and foreignscientific and technical officials, the media,
civil society representatives – demonstrate thenation’s interest in its operations and facilities.

IRSN will continue
to work towards twoof ETSON’s strategic
objectives: strengthening
its links with the European
Commission and its
interactions with safety
authorities and industry.
JEAN-CHRISTOPHE NIEL

Human resources areat the heart of maintaining
excellence in both theassessments and research
conducted at IRSN.
MARIE-FRANCE BELLIN

We would like to conclude on society’s
high expectations with regard to health andenvironmental issues, as borne out by media
coverage.
With much modesty given the complexity of thesesubjects, but with a strong conviction, the IRSN
model sought by the state in 2001 with:• risk assessment distinct from risk management,
i.e. an assessment body separate from thedecision-making body;• an assessment of all facets of nuclear andradiological risk: safety, security, protectionof persons and the environment from ionizing
radiation, and long-term assessment;• an assessment based on expertise and research,
the latter taking into account needs required forexpertise and in turn reinforcing expertise basedon knowledge;• an assessment based on interaction with society:
it is not a co-assessment (the responsibilitiesof the stakeholders must be clearly definedfor these subjects), but this is about the ability
to explain and accept the interrogations that
ultimately support the assessment; this includes
data that increase confidence in risk management.

7

LOUIS-MICHEL GUILL AUME

DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL FOR DEFENSE MISSIONS AND IN CHARGEO F T H E D E F E N S E , S E C U R IT Y A N D N O N P R O L I F E R AT I O N D I V I S I O N

INTERVIEW

ANNUAL REPORT 2019

Interview
Our teams are preparing for two major challenges: in the defense field,
to simultaneously accompany renewal, regeneration and maintenance
operations as well as the dismantling of equipment and facilities.
In the security field, they must continue to adapt to changing circumstances.
LOUIS-MICHEL GUILLAUME

As part of its missions in the defense sector, IRSN
supports not only operations over the life cycleof defense equipment and facilities – renewal,
regeneration, maintenance and dismantling –but also the management of associated waste.
For its security missions, it must continue
to accompany a change characterized by theshift from the risk of nonproliferation of nuclear
materials to the growing threat of malicious actsof any kind.

IRSN expects 2020 to havea significant workload for
its teams working on defense
and security missions.
LOUIS-MICHEL GUILLAUME

In 2019, the high volume of activity continued for IRSN’s defense and security
missions, including defense nuclear safety assessment, the security of nuclear
facilities and transport, and nuclear and chemical nonproliferation. IRSN’s teams
assigned to these missions are ready and preparing to meet two challenges.

8

Within this framework, the Institute works
to support public authorities in the fields
of defense and security. Such support involves
addressing multiple issues: for example,
for research this means using high performanceequipment to simulate systems usedin the nuclear industry to assess their ability toresist cyberattacks and to pursue testing theeffects of weapons and explosives on structures.
IRSN continues to modernize protectedor classified Institute information system
networks, particularly for nuclear material
accountancy and electronic declarations.
In addition to introducing these new tools, there
is a constant human resources challenge for theInstitute to recruit and retain the experts it needs
in a competitive marketplace.

The workload for 2020 is not expected
to decrease. IRSN’s security assessmentof defense systems will continue on the Suffrenclass nuclear attack submarines and thirdgeneration nuclear-powered ballistic missile
submarines, in addition to mobilizing significant
resources for the associated support and nuclear
fuel cycle facilities.
The same is true of security and nonproliferation,with the continuation of the program of the
Ministry for Ecological and Inclusive Transition
to strengthen the security of civilian nuclear
facilities and transport, inspection and control
missions in various fields, and mentoringin foreign countries in the framework of theConvention for the Prohibition of Chemical
Weapons. In 2020, IRSN will also continue
to accompany the government’s discussions
on updating the regulations taking into accountoperating experience feedback. At the same time,through training in missions of the International
Physical Protection Advisory Service (IPPAS)
and its participation in IAEA meetings, IRSN plans
to solidify its international position as an expert
on topics such as nuclear security, safeguards
or nonproliferation.
While there’s no shortage of challenges, publicauthorities can count on the commitmentof IRSN’s teams to meet them.

IRSN continues to work
to support public authorities
in the area of defense, security
and nonproliferation.
LOUIS-MICHEL GUILLAUME

9

2019

09 / 19

HIGHLIGHTSANNUAL REPORT 2019

KEY EV ENTS I N

Conclusion of the FASTNET project

whose objective, following the Fukushima accident,
was to develop tools and a method for rapid,organized and reliable prediction of accident
outcomes and anticipation of atmospheric releases.

06 / 1901 / 19

IRSN

Collaboration agreement

First edition of Shared Knowledge Days

Publicationof the second report on children’s exposure
in medical imaging.
of the Report on the Radiological Stateof the Environment in France.

of the 2018 report on Occupational Exposure
to Ionizing Radiation in France.

participated in 8 of the 13 research projects
selected under the Euratom 2020 Call for Projects.

with the University of Nagasaki on the study of theeffects of ionizing radiation on living organisms.

Publication

Publication

04 / 19
Renewalof the framework partnership agreement between
Météo-France and IRSN for six years.

Visit

to IRSN’s research facilities by G7 nuclear experts.

event co-sponsored by IRSN and Anccli to provide
local information commissions with IRSN’s
knowledge and operating experience feedback
on nuclear safety topics they identified together.
This event reflected the Institute’s willingness
to share its technical expertise, following thecommitment made in its Charter on Openness
to Society.

Investigations

into the cause of a high level of tritium measured
in the Loire River.

10 / 19
Reporton the consultation on safety
improvements to 900 MWe reactors.

Opinionof IRSN on break preclusion requirements and defects
that were not detected in the end-of-manufacture
controls of the main steam lines of the Flamanville EPR.

11 / 19
As part of the state visitof the French President to China, the Memorandumof Understanding on Fuel Safety was signed by JeanChristophe Niel, Director General of IRSN and Dr. Ren,
Director General of the Nuclear and Radiation Safety
Center, the Institute’s counterpart, under the patronageof the French and Chinese ministers of ecology.

05 / 1903 / 19IRSN and the United States Nuclear
Regulatory Commission (U.S. NRC)

signed a cooperation agreement in the areasof emergency preparedness and response.

Participationby IRSN in the 23 public meetings organized by theSpecial Commission for Public Debate within theframework of the future French National Radioactive
Materials and Waste Management Plan (PNGMDR).

Publicationof the report on the issues involved in the dismantlingof pressurized water reactors.

Contributionof IRSN to irradiated patient care, under the aegis
of the IAEA.

1007 / 19
IRSN

participated in six projects selected by the French
National Research Agency (ANR), French National
Cancer Institute (INCa) and Inserm.

2019
Periodic reviewof 900 MWe reactors.
11

In 2019, IRSN began a profound transformation outlined in its 2019-2023 Performance
Target Agreement with the French government, which states the Institute’s goals
and strategic directions. In addition creating a division for transforming
and reorganizing the operation and support functions, the digital roadmap is a way
for a major transformation program of IRSN in the coming years.

STRATEGIC PRIORITIESANNUAL REPORT 2019

I . M AK I N G T R AN S FO R M AT I O N PARTO F T HE ST R AT EGY

Strategic priorities

Digital transformation actions in 201901
12

Defined in 2018, IRSN’s Digital Roadmap aims
to provide all Institute staff with a digitaland mobile working environment. The priorityof the digital transformation program is agility,
as it places user needs and demands at theheart of a collaborative approach. In 2019,
efforts focused on making progress on data,
which has enabled, among other things,
to develop a culture of data visualization, definea catalog of data acquired by IRSN in the fieldof radiation protection and implement a technicalplatform for collating databases for this field.
It is also developing knowledge-sharing tools.
The scope of the Institute’s internal search engine
has been expanded, as has the scope of digitalcommunication tools. The digital workplace project
was launched, and IRSN staff experimented withvarious collaborative tools such as using theTeams platform to prepare an assessment.
These developments aim to facilitate teamwork,
including when working on the go and from home.
In 2020, new collaborative tools will be rolled out
for all employees, development will continue
on the use of the Institute’s scientificand technical data, and implementationof electronic signatures will be expanded
to favor digital processes and their simplification.

Toward a new management model

The analysis completed in 2018 as partof reorganizing the operation and support
functions demonstrated the need for change
in the culture and practice of managers
as keys to transforming the Institute.

IRSN encourages even more collaboration

The quality level of the work carried out by IRSN
is largely based on the use of the best available
knowledge and the skills of its staff. In a highly
competitive labor market, maintaining the skill levelof its staff requires IRSN to remain an attractive
choice in order to retain employees and bring newtalent on board. To accomplish this objective,
the Director General has encouraged input fromstaff, including during the “2030 Workshops”
held in the summer of 2018. A major component
in transforming the Institute, the evolutionof managerial policy – and moreparticularly of modes of collaboration –has therefore seen the launch of several
actions that will continue in 2020.

The management meetings of 2019 marked
the launch of the management transformation
program. The objective is to build a new modelusing collective intelligence to better take into
account societal expectations and the challenges
before the Institute, particularly in termsof employee retention and scientificand technical performance.

13

The contributions of research, together with those of operating experience feedback,constitute the foundation of an assessment for which quality is constantly upgraded.
As public expert, IRSN has no shortage of challenges, whether they concern safetywith the aging and decommissioning of operating facilities, the development of new
generation reactors or the processing and storage of waste, radiation protection with thegoal of limiting and managing the adverse effects of radiation therapy treatments, better
protecting populations in the event of a radiological or nuclear emergency, or better
understanding the effects of radionuclides on terrestrial and marine ecosystems… In allthese areas, the Institute must implement an ambitious knowledge acquisition strategy.

An ambitious CSR dynamicthat engages employees

As part of its strategic transformation, IRSN has
also stimulated a dynamic of social and societal
responsibility which aims to go beyond theobjectives of the sustainable development charter
established by the Institute in 2011. This new
corporate social responsibility (CSR) policy is basedon an ISO 26000 process leading to reaffirming
IRSN’s sense of action and responsibilities.
In 2019, it resulted in the creation of the positionof CSR delegate attached to the Transformation
Division and the definition of governance basedon a CSR Council composed of employees andDirectors Circle. Through the efforts they lead,they will ensure the new CSR dynamic, which
will drive transformation on several levels:• institutional, including the Institute in the
dynamics of public institutions responding
to the government’s CSR recommendations;• regulatory, through the implementationof laws relating to integrity, professional conduct,transparency (including the Sapin II and Pacte Laws),
as well as measurement and performance indicators;• innovation, with challenges to transformthe Institute’s CSR practices and culture
through short- and medium-term actions.
The Institute’s CSR Roadmap has four
themes: protection of people and employees,
actions in favor of the environment, achieving
excellence and taking responsibility, and active
involvement in the evolution of society.
It will be reflected in an action plan in 2020.

A laboratory for innovation

As a follow-up to the IRSN 2030 process,the Institute has just created an innovationlaboratory called IRSN Lab. Beginning in 2020,
this small unit is a transformation tool that enables
employees to experiment with new methodsof finding solutions in the field covering
different societal, organizational,
scientific and technical problems.

14

It will use the creativity and shared understandingof the problems encountered on a projectbased on observation of the user’s practices
and experience. Ultimately, IRSN Lab will
help create informal networks that will bespaces for exchange. It is a physical, open
and modular place that is characterized
by a framework and working methods that promote
the emergence of innovative products, services
and organizational methods. It is about putting
the user experience at the heart of the design
and improvement of IRSN products and services,
whether internal or external use. In 2019, the headof IRSN Lab was given the initial tasks of defining
its services and operation, setting up its site,and launching operation in the first quarter of 2020.

Rolling out the knowledge
management policy

Established in 2012, IRSN’s knowledge
management initiative has identified, throughanalyses in all scientific and technical fields,
key knowledge to be maintained or developed overthe short to medium term. IRSN has put in placeaction plans covering all topics and has structured
tools for sharing and transmitting knowledge suchas the in-house university and the ASK searchengine. The challenge in the coming years will
be to ensure that this approach is sustainable
in the Institute’s functioning, to promoteknowledge sharing by all collaborators, and tostrengthen its synergy with other Institute policies,
including that concerning skills management.

Strong involvement in European
and national projects

In line with its commitment in the 2019-2023
Performance Target Agreement, IRSN continued
to work for high-level research partnerships
in order to meet the challenges of assessment,
as evidenced with the Institute’s success in
European and national calls to tender. Thus,
at the European level, IRSN is participating in eightof the 13 research projects selected under the
Euratom Horizon 2020 call for projects for 20182019 in the fields of safety, waste management
and radiation protection. Among them, theInstitute is coordinating the RC2A project on
the radiological consequences of accidents likely
to result in the transfer of contamination fromthe reactor coolant system to the environment.
It is also participating in a project to improve theprediction capabilities of severe accident computercodes and in three other projects, respectively
on the safety of modular reactors, the safetyof molten salt reactors and the use of nuclear
data in modeling tools. IRSN will contributeto the development of a roadmap for research into
the cleanup of facilities undergoing dismantling.
It is involved in Andra’s EURAD program on
geological waste disposal. Finally, IRSN will bepart of the consortium for the HARMONIC project
researching the health effects of fluoroscopy andnew approaches in pediatric cardiac radiotherapy.
In France, nine projects involving IRSN wereselected for funding by the French National
Research Agency, the French National Cancer
Institute, the French Institute of Healthand Medical Research and the French Agency
for Food, Environmental and Occupational
Health and Safety. The projects in the healthfield involve research to limit the side effectsof radiotherapy; optimize the use of ionizing
radiation and evaluate the associated risks;
improve the health care of persons accidentally
exposed to ionizing radiation; and treat radiationinduced gastrointestinal syndrome. Two projects
concerning the environment were selected.

STRATEGIC PRIORITIESANNUAL REPORT 2019

I I . R ES E AR C H TO I M PR OV E
AS S ES S M E N TS FO R T HE F UT UR E

These actions will create spaces for theInstitute’s teams to work in collaboration, to create
communities of practices that foster collaborationand sharing experiences, including through training
in design thinking… Efforts are also being madeto maintain effective collaboration while working
remotely, based on introducing the best practices.

The first seeks to establish, based on mathematicalanalyses using neural networks, the causal links
between the concentrations of contaminantsof different families (radionuclides, microplastics
and derivatives) and the anthropogenicpressures exerted on large watersheds in France.
The concentrations of contaminants will bereconstructed from sedimentary archives collected
downstream of large rivers (Loire, Rhône, Seine,
Garonne, Meuse, Moselle, Rhine), and which
will cover at minimum the last hundred years.
The project will use scenarios to predict
trajectories of contaminants for upcoming
decades. The second project, DARE, will
perform site effect studies in the vicinityof Tricastin. These results confirm the roleof IRSN as a major player in safety, radiation
protection and environmental research.

IN BRIEF
Risk management
The colloquium marking the end of the AGORAS project toimprove governance of nuclear safety organizations and networks
was held in October 2019. Funded under the call for projects
in nuclear safety and radiation protection research by France’s
Investments for the Future Program, AGORAS brought together
nuclear operators, ASN, IRSN and the public to delve into theorganizational issues and characteristics of the decision-making
system in the nuclear field, and the procedural framework for
emergency response management.

15

STRATEGIC PRIORITIESANNUAL REPORT 2019

Work on criticality

The 11th International Conference on Nuclear
Criticality Safety was held in Paris in September
2019. Organized by IRSN under the aegis
of the OECD, the gathering brought together
more than 300 experts from 17 countries.
Every four years, this nuclear criticality safety eventis the occasion to learn about current researchthrough technical presentations, poster sessions,workshops and technical visits. Major themesin 2019 included improved simulationequipment performance, criticality accidents,
the use of recent techniques such as
artificial intelligence for simulationand virtual reality for training. The conference also
highlighted the need for experiment programsand the challenges raised by the recoveryof corium from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi
reactors. Likewise, in the same approach basedon exchange and collaboration for improved
assessment of risk situations, IRSN has provided
members of the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA)
the MORET computer code for calculating criticality
safety in facilities and during the transportof nuclear materials. Developed over more than
thirty years, the code very ergonomically performs
complex simulations and has a broad validationbase that covers a large number of configurations
that may be encountered in the nuclear fuel cycle.
Implementation of the MORET computer codeby scientists from NEA member countries willcontribute to improving safety and enrich operating
experience feedback in the use of the code.

Civil engineering
The focus of the Structural Performance Modeling and Analysis
Laboratory (LMAPS), established in 2019, is civil engineering.
It will conduct research and modeling to better understandand quantify the performance of structures and equipmentin nuclear facilities, including aging and concrete
pathologies. LMAPS has an extensive network with a national
and international profile (ENS Paris Saclay, the Materials
and Sustainability of Construction Laboratory (LMDC), French
Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA),
Centrale Nantes (ECN), Université de Sherbrooke in Canada,
Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) and U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission (NRC).
www.irsn.fr/LMAPS

Partnerships
In 2019, IRSN concluded some 50 collaboration agreementsin the area of R&D. Some are part of the multi-year collaborationagreement in force with CNRS, while others are part of projects
selected by various research funding agencies at the national
and European level. The multi-year framework agreementwith the Reactions and Process Engineering Laboratory,a joint unit of CNRS and Université de Lorraine, was renewed.
As a result, IRSN will be able to consolidate developmentof models predicting the change in behavior over time of very
high-efficiency filters designed to limit releases from nuclear
facilities to the environment.

Advances in serious accidents

Mathias Roger,a doctoral student at IRSN’s
Human and Social Sciences
Laboratory (LSHS), won
the “Three-minute thesis”
competition. His work focuseson the process of creating
and revising a risk
assessment methodology.

In April 2019, IRSN hosted the closing seminarof the first phase of the MITHYGENE project.
Funded via the call for projects in nuclear safety
and radiation protection research by France’s
Investments for the Future Program, the project
aims to further knowledge and modelingof hydrogen explosions in a reactor core melt
accident and develop simulation tools and in situ
risk assessment. Launched in 2013 for five years,
MITHYGENE has two phases. The main resultsof the first phase concern hydrogen dispersion
within the containment, and the conditions favoring
acceleration of hydrogen flame propagation.

The experimental data is used to validate
the simulation software. The objective of thesecond phase is to improve the radiation resistanceof the gas measurement instrumentationand to calculate the number of sensors to placein the reactor containment to produce the mostaccurate and reliable diagnostics. In parallel, theMIRE project, led by IRSN and whose goal is to limit
the release of gaseous fission products in the eventof a reactor core melt accident, has been extended
by 30 months in order to improve on initial results.

IRSN committed to sharing scientific knowledge.
In 2019, the Institute became part of Open Access – a meansof sharing research articles in a digital format that is freeof charge and compliant with rights and archiving authorizations– by launching a new tool for managing the publication of itsscientific publications on the national HAL portal. By providing
all with access to its research papers, and in keeping withcommitments made with scientific publishers, IRSN is thus
fostering knowledge sharing in the nuclear and radiation
protection fields through an approach that ensures openness, fair
access, transparency, responsible stewardship, and flexible reuseof data.
https://hal-irsn.archives-ouvertes.fr/

Funded under the call for projects in nuclear safety
and radiation protection research by France’s
Investments for the Future Program, MIRE consistsof different research lines aiming to establish
recommendations on the effectiveness of filters
for trapping elements such as volatile iodine
species or ruthenium tetraoxide. The results
provide a better evaluation of releases during theventing phase, knowledge of the performanceand limits of existing vent filters with regard tothese gases as well as their capacity for trapping
certain porous materials. The second phase of the
project will explore the capacities of these materials
further downstream, in particular by carrying out
tests in conditions as close as possible to thoseof a pressurized water reactor accident.
Finally, the OECD STEM2 experiment program
was completed in late 2019. For four years,
it studied the behavior of fission products (iodine
and ruthenium) under severe accident conditions.
The experiments, mainly carried out on the
CHROMIA platform, improved knowledgeof the effect of pre-aged paints on the productionof organic iodides, the chemical stabilityof metal iodide and iodine oxide-type aerosol
deposits as well as the behavior of ruthenium
in the reactor coolant system. IRSN worked
with its STEM2 partners in preparing a new
OECD program, ESTER, on delayed releases.

Renewal of the framework partnership agreement
between Météo-France and IRSN for six years.

Theses Days 2019
Over four days in early April, second-and third-year doctoral students presented their work to researchersof the Institute and its various research partners (universities, industry, etc.), for a total of 220 participantsat the event held in La Grande Motte in southern France. It was an opportunity for all participants to recognize
progress made in all research work carried out within the Institute, break down barriers between disciplines,
find time for discussions between the different laboratories, and consider the life of research in IRSN, France
and abroad. It also demonstrates the role the Institute assigns to research-based training and its commitment
to forging links with the academic world.

16

The new agreement signed on April 19, 2019 focuses on
expanding the exchange of meteorological and radiological data,and implementing bilateral advisory and awareness-raising actions
to promote a better flow of know-how and data between the twoorganizations. This will help meet nuclear safety requirements
and improve support to the public authorities.

17

Scientific publications
The scientific production of IRSN teams for
publications in international databases stabilized
at an average of 300 documents per year for the
2015-2017 period. A large majority (80%) appear
in scientific journals in the Journal Citation Report.
Scientific journals publishing the work of IRSN are
well noted: 75% of those in which articles of IRSN
have been published at least three times within three
years and/or whose publications have been citedsince publication have 50% of the best impact factors
in the areas concerned. The Institute is also active
at national and international conferences, offering atleast 400 presentations per year on average. In 2017,
for example, the Institute staff made presentations
and/or posters at 161 conferences and symposia.

I RSN, signatory to the
San Francisco Declaration
on Research Assessment
Today, the scientific output of a
researcher, team, organization or
country is still measured using
quantitative bibliometric indicators,
which are not suitable for assessing
the intrinsic quality of publishedresults. A growing number of researchorganizations therefore advocatequalitative peer assessment. They
initiated the San Francisco Declaration
on Research Assessment in 2012
and the Leiden Manifesto in 2015. In
2019, IRSN signed the San Francisco
Declaration to join this international
movement to improve practices forevaluating research activities. The
declaration’s principles coincidewith the basis of the evaluative
practices and the publication process
recommended by the High Council for
Evaluation of Research and Higher
Education (HCERES).

Fire research

IRSN’s teams are researching fire, a major risk
in a nuclear facility, with a focus on propagation
conditions. For example, the FIGARO program
studies glove box fire scenarios and thesuspension of radionuclides involved in thesefires. Researchers finalized the verification
campaign for the medium-scale experimental
SIMBAG device and associated metrology in 2019and conducted an initial experiment campaign.
At the same time, a collaboration began withJapan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA),
which will co-fund the program until early 2024.
In 2019 a second test campaign of the PRISME
3 program was conducted under the auspicesof the OECD in IRSN’s SATURNE and DIVA
facilities. The campaign studied the spread of anelectrical cabinet fire to another electrical cabinet
in various fire scenarios. The tests will improveand validate the SYLVIA and ISIS simulation
tools developed by the Institute. One of the tests
carried out in confined/ventilated environments
also exposed fire detectors to ambient conditions
approximating those of an actual accident.

I RSN’s ongoingassessment
In 2019, IRSN published two reports
evaluating its research on criticality
and core melt.

18

STRATEGIC PRIORITIESANNUAL REPORT 2019

Launch of the IXBONE project

Launched in June 2019 for four years,
the IXBONE project is developing a new cellulartherapy strategy to limit the side effects inducedon bones by radiotherapies in the treatmentof cancers of the upper respiratory and digestive
tracts. IXBONE receives funding fromthe French National Research Agency underthe 2018 call for Collaborative Research Projects Enterprise. It seeks to develop a cell therapy
protocol using mesenchymal stromal cells
for the regeneration of injured bone tissue.
This is a joint project of the Regenerative Medicine
and Skeleton Laboratory (Inserm-Universitéde Nantes-Oniris RMES 1229), IRSN and OTR3.

5

39.1%
of budget allocatedto research in 2019(excluding Feurs project)research supervisor
accreditations (HDR)
defended in 201921

Extension of the PRIODAC project

Since 2014, IRSN has coordinated the PRIODAC
project, whose main objectives are to determine
the modalities (dosage and frequency)
for administering stable iodine to persons
in an area of repeated or prolonged
radioactive accidental releases
and to assess the potential side effects of this iodine
intake for different categories of the population(infants, children, adults, pregnant womenand the elderly, etc.). PRIODAC is funded under
the call for projects in nuclear safety and radiation
protection research by France’s Investments
for the Future Program. An extension of the project
until 2022 was accepted to consider further detailsof administering iodine to pregnant women.

theses defended in 2019

Second component of the AMORAD
project

Implemented from 2013 to 2019, the objectiveof the AMORAD program was to optimize models
for predicting radionuclide dispersal in theenvironment and evaluating their impact on themarine environment and terrestrial ecosystems.
Funded under the call for projects in nuclear safety
and radiation protection research by France’s
Investments for the Future Program, AMORAD II
is being extended until 2022 to gain further knowledgeof radionuclide transfer processes in continental
environments (soil-forest) and watersheds throughsoil erosion. An economic section has been added
to the program to complete development of IRSN’s
ARPAGON software, which is used to assess the
direct costs of contamination in a region after
a severe accident. The aim is to take into accountthe economic impacts associated with loss of forest
and water resources and with requirements to prohibit
the supply of water for drinking and irrigation.

427

full-time equivalentcommitted to research83

doctoral students(full-time equivalent)8

post-doctoral students(full-time equivalent)

53

PhDs or persons qualified
to direct research

221

publications listed
in Journal Citation Reports

19

In case of an incident or accident, IRSN is responsible for putting forward proposals
to the safety authorities on technical, health and medical measures to protect the
public and the environment in the area concerned and for supporting the publicauthorities. Through its teams participating in national and international exercises,
the Institute plays a role in the national nuclear and radiological emergency systemand contributes to updating France’s post-accident policy. In this framework, it studies
feedback from the post-accident management of the Fukushima Daiichi accident.

Preparing for malicious acts

Emergency response now appears in the
2019-2023 Performance Target Agreement
as a strategic area for progress, along withassessment, research and openness to society.
This change reflects IRSN’s commitmen
to further strengthening its skills – especiallyassessment – and its mobilization andresponse capabilities, particularly insituations involving malicious acts.
The Institute strengthened its emergency
response organization in July 2019 bycreating two new “security functions”
within its facility assessment unit:• a specialist in security involving malicious
acts whose role is to question the potentiallymalicious origin of a security event and,
where appropriate, assess its impact
on the diagnosis and prognosis of the securityof the facility, transport or package concerned;• a “security liaison officer” whose role
is to collect information from the operator
about the ongoing security event.

Setting up these two new functions,
to be filled by security experts from IRSN’s
Defense and Security Division, will beaccompanied by the development of methods,
tools and protocols for exchanges with
operators in addition to those already in place.
In late 2019, as part of the preparation
for handling a situation involving a malicious act
and in keeping with the commitment made underthe 2019-2023 Performance Target Agreement
to devote one exercise per year to protecting
facilities from such acts, IRSN designed
and carried out its first internal exercise
in which the scenario was based on a malicious
act on public roads. It mobilized the Institute’s
emergency teams to handle a very different
situation from those used in national emergency
exercises on the safety of nuclear facilities,
especially with the predominance of a healthproblem. Feedback from the exercise will identify
needs for development in terms of organization,
methods, tools and training to handle thesesituations. In addition to its activities to prepare
for situations involving malicious acts, IRSN
participates, both in France and abroad, in various
exercises and projects aimed at strengthening
its emergency response capabilities.

Involving stakeholders living in contaminatedregions: TERRITORIES project

29

days of emergency
response exercisesin 201910

employees mobilized
during the level 1
activation of theemergency response
for the Le Teil earthquake
in southern France

2

national security
exercises

A strategy of post-accident measuresin the event of a nuclear accident

Following the accident at the Fukushima
Daiichi nuclear power plant, IRSN developed
a strategy for the radiological characterizationof a region contaminated by radioactive releases.
It relies on mobile measurement equipment
which complement modeling tools for a rapid
assessment of the situation. High-frequency
gamma spectrometry on board light aircraft can
provide rapid assessment of the affected area,
followed by helicopters (metrology device on
board aircraft), in order to refine the assessmentwith more precise measurements, and finallyin vehicles, at the edge of the perimeter andin populated areas, for a very precise definitionof the zone. Through international exercises,
the Institute compares its performanceand interoperability with those of organizations
abroad. This latter aspect is particularly
important in that the contamination resulting
from an accident is likely to cover several
countries. In Orange, in southern France,
the Institute participated in a one-week exercise,
AGC 2019, which brought together teams fromthe CEA and IRSN, as well as from German,
Italian and Czech organizations, in the presenceof American and Swiss observers.

In November 2019, the final seminar of the TERRITORIES project
was held in Aix-en-Provence in southern France. The project
was launched in 2017 to better take into account uncertainties
and involve stakeholders in risk assessment procedures
and management actions for regions affected by long-term
radioactive contamination. The project made it possible
to identify and illustrate good practices in characterizing
radioactivity in the environment and dosimetric calculations aswell as to collect the expectations and concerns of stakeholders
for greater consideration of the uncertainties in the managementof a contaminated region.

STRATEGIC PRIORITIESANNUAL REPORT 2019

I II. A NTICIPATIN G A N E M E R GE NCY

First anniversary of IRSN’s Emergency
Response Center

The new Emergency Response Center, commissioned
in October 2018, is the nerve center of IRSN’s emergency
organization, and includes, compared to its predecessor, many
improvements that have been defined with the emergency
response team: new general organization of units, integrationof new units (for health and international relations), centralized
emergency documentation, modernization of spaces andtools available to each unit and image walls. After a yearof use, the feedback is generally positive: there is currently aneffort to gather opinions from the IRSN emergency response
team and potential needs for further improvements. During
the course of a year, IRSN’s emergency response team wasmobilized and the center was activated as part of participationin ten national emergency exercises, seven local emergency
exercises, one internal exercise and numerous trainings andsimulations. In 2019, the Emergency Response Center was
activated once during the Le Teil earthquake on November 11.

Protecting people contaminatedby a radiological accident: IRSN participatesin a triage exercise

In November 2019 at the Satory military camp near Paris, IRSN
participated in a triage exercise with a group of people believed tobe contaminated with iodine-131 as a result of a nuclear reactor
accident. More than 130 people and 45 specialized vehicles were
mobilized for this exercise involving personnel and resourcesfrom IRSN, the Civil Defense Training and Response Unit and the
Army Radiological Protection Service. For civilian and military
authorities, this inter-ministerial exercise provided numerous
lessons on many aspects such as interoperability of resources,
logistics for care, measurement equipment and measurement
thresholds to apply for the triage of contaminated persons.

Anticipating atmospheric releases for a rapid
response in accident situations:
FASTNET project conclusions

Launched in October 2015 under IRSN’s leadership, the Horizon
2020 FASTNET project involved a consortium of 20 partners
from 18 countries (including the United States, Canada andRussia), as well as the IAEA. In the aftermath of the Fukushima
Daiichi accident, its aim was to develop the tools and a method
for rapid, reliable and organized prediction of how an accident
will develop and any releases into the atmosphere. Completed
in September 2019, the project created a reference databaseof accident scenarios, improved the tools required to rapidly assess
atmospheric releases and developed a common assessment
methodology. This will enable emergency response centersto react quickly in emergency situations in most nuclear power
plants in order to better protect the surrounding population.

20

In 2020, the results of the exercise will bepresented at a workshop on airborne gamma
spectrometry in the United States at theinitiative of the U.S. Department of Energy.
In addition to portable measurement
equipment, there may also be analysisof environmental samples to determine thenature of contamination in areas affected byreleases of a radiological or nuclear accident.
21Each day, an attentive citizen watchfulness contributes a little more to the safetyof nuclear facilities, as demonstrated by the close cooperation of local informationcommissions and their national association, Anccli, with IRSN. This cooperation
was expanded in 2019 to cover various research and assessment topics involving
issues that call for dialogue between representatives of society and experts
on nuclear and radiological risk.

Consultation on safety
improvements for 900 MWe reactors

IRSN accompanied the French High Committee
on Transparency and Information on Nuclear
Safety in the consultation process for improving
the safety of 900 MWe reactors as part of the
fourth periodic review of the plant series.
In 2019, the Institute was deeply involved,
alongside ASN and Anccli, in a public consultation
on proposed improvements to assure the safetyof the nuclear facilities concerned. It contributed
to 13 public meetings and three workshops
on specific topics, such as plant aging
and protection against aggression, chosen
by certain local information commissions.

IRSN and Anccli join forces
to share knowledge

The two partners launched Shared Knowledge
Days in 2019. The initiative is intended
to provide local information commissions
with IRSN’s knowledge and feedback
on nuclear safety topics identified together
to strengthen the technical competenceof their members. Custom designed using
topics identified by one or more commissions,
the Shared Knowledge Days event provides
an opportunity to deepen the discussion witha combination of theory and concrete
examples. The event, held in June, wasthe occasion to present the fundamental
principles of nuclear safety and the basesof the safety demonstration, as well as
to discuss the sequences that led to theThree Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima
accidents. This approach reflects theInstitute’s willingness to share its technicalexpertise, in compliance with its commitment
to openness to society found in its charter.

22

110

STRATEGIC PRIORITIESANNUAL REPORT 2019

IV. CONTRIBUTING TO T R A NSPA R E NCY
A ND D IA LOGU E

students from French
and foreign schools took partin the radiation protection
workshops

18

actions by IRSN for local informationcommissions and Anccli

78

requests were made by local
information commissions to IRSN

The Institute has also created a dedicatedwebsite which includes a collectionof documents and frequently asked questions.
The most discussed topics concern facility
compliance, improvements in corium
recovery, protection of fuel storage pools,
informing the public early on in emergency
situations and organizational and humanfactors. Because of this technical dialogue,
IRSN now refers to the main questions
posed by the public in its opinions.

Public debate on the managementof radioactive materials and waste

In 2019, IRSN participated in 23 public meetingsorganized by the Special Commission for Public
Debate (CPDP) in the framework of the future
French National Radioactive Materials and Waste
Management Plan (PNGMDR). The plan represents
a major issue for the Institute in that the technicaland societal questions raised were related
to the management of all radioactive materials
and wastes from numerous perspectives, including
health, the environment, and the economy.
Furthermore, the diverse subjects involve various
scientific fields covered by many experts at
the Institute. IRSN’s contribution to the debate
relied on feedback from the initial meetings, andthe formats used – video, podcasts, serious
games, workshops, etc. – were adapted
to the topics and audiences. The accompanimentof public meetings provided numerous lessons
for IRSN’s experts, in particular on how they
address issues related to the managementof radioactive materials and waste. They thus
noted the importance of discussing not only thetechnical solutions and projects that are being
investigated, but also the abandoned alternatives.

Increasing awareness of highschool students to radioecology

In March 2019, in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin,
IRSN participated in the presentation by 150
high school students and their teachers fromthree high schools in the Manche departmentof the results of their scientific work on the risks
related to radioactivity, as part of an international
program of high school workshops on radiation
protection. For the twelfth year in a row, thesemeetings enabled high school groups from
France (Agneaux, Audincourt, Bastia, BoulogneBillancourt, Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, Coutances,
Dunkirk, Marly-le-Roi, Nantes, and Poitiers) andother countries (Belarus, Japan, Moldova) to share
their research work, done under the supervisionof their teachers, with experts and researchers.
A total of 16 high schools contributed in 2019.

Contributionof IRSN to an NEA workshop
on stakeholder participation
In September 2019, the 2nd NEA Workshop on Stakeholder
Involvement: Risk Communication, Dialogue toward a sharedunderstanding of radiological risks was held in Paris. IRSN’s
Director General, in his capacity as Chairman of the NEA Nuclear
Safety Committee, moderated the session «Engaging in dialogues
with civil society and the next generation». Discussions focusedon the conditions for dialogue with the public, how to share
understanding of risks, and why experts and researchers must
engage in dialogue with society.

23

Producing assessments that meet the evolving
safety challenges of nuclear facilities and enhancing
their safety is at the heart of the work carried out
by IRSN. This covers the operational organizationof its teams, the development of new analytical tools and research
programs, and the use of operating experience feedback and the best
available knowledge. In 2019, against the background of the possibilityof French nuclear reactors continuing to operate beyond the forty years
planned for their design, the Institute evaluated the major subjectsof the periodic review of the 900 MWe reactors for their fourth 10-yearly
outage inspection (VD4-900). At the same time, it continued the reviewof the Flamanville EPR with a view to its commissioning, including
weld anomalies in the main secondary system, and performed theassessment of the periodic review of the UP2-800 plant in La Hague
and that of the safety files associated with the dismantling of nuclear
facilities. This preparatory work will lead to the submission, in the firstquarter of 2020, of its findings on the safety review associated with
fourth 10-yearly outage inspection. The Institute will also continue
preparation of the corresponding review of 1300 MWe reactors(VD4-1300). Finally, development of the PIREX artificial intelligence
tool will enhance analysis of operating experience feedback from
nuclear facilities by using the power of algorithms to processa very large amount of data. Actions strengthening the coordinatedarticulation of assessment and safety research activities will continue
in parallel to anticipate the knowledge necessary for risk assessment.

ENHANCING NUCLEAR SAFETYIn April 2019, IRSN presented to the Advisory
Committee on Nuclear Pressure Equipment
its findings concerning the analysis of theapproach proposed by EDF to justify the “breakpreclusion” of the main steam lines of the main
secondary circuit of the Flamanville EPR reactor
in northwest France. EDF has chosen to subject
the main steam lines of the main secondary
systems of the Flamanville EPR reactor
to enhanced requirements to prevent a line breakwith a high level of confidence, so as not to retain
the complete break of these lines in the nuclear
safety demonstration studies of the facility.
However, nonconformities were found on thewelds of the reactor’s main steam lines, including
eight factory welds located on the containment
penetrations. The treatment presented by EDF
to ASN in July 2018 favored, for certain welds,a backfitting that would justify “break preclusion”
of the lines. For others, EDF planned to justify
making no changes, in particular to the welds
located on the containment penetrations.

11

technical reviews performed
to support ASN Advisory Committee
meetings regarding safety

468

technical notices and reports
submitted to ASN (excluding
defense-related activities)

IRSN’s analysis focused on two aspects:• characterization of the toughness
properties of the welds on the main steamlines at the containment penetrations;• characterization of the phenomenonof “aging under deformation” of thewelding materials of main steam lines.
In concluding its assessment, IRSN recalledthat the break preclusion process is basedon work of excellent quality and on the high levelof confidence justified by this quality of work.

Flamanville EPR: welding anomalies
The welding problem concerns the main lines for removing steam from the secondary system of the EPR.
They pass through the double-wall containment enclosure. Eight containment penetration welds are locatedon lines between the two walls.

—

THIERRY CHARLES,
Deputy Director General in charge of the Nuclear Safety Division

Containment penetration welds 1 to 8
The main steam lines with break preclusion include 66 welds, eight of which are at the double containmentof the reactor. These welds show deviations in their fabrication.

© Romain Grimaldi/Médiathèque IRSN

Enhancing nuclear safety

ANNUAL REPORT 20190224

Analyzing deviations in welding on themain steam lines of the Flamanville EPR

25

IRSN analyzed the 2015-2017 operating resultsof EDF’s fleet, including operating experience
feedback from events reported during this period.
In its opinion, the Institute highlights two typesof events reported by EDF: maintenancenon-qualities and precursor events. For the former,
IRSN’s study of a sample of 584 events showsthat the non-quality problems originate in the work
planning and preparation phases. The organizational
and technical context in which these interventions
take place also contributes to errors made by field
personnel. The Institute recommended not limiting
analysis of causes to the operator’s actions,but to consider more broadly the planningof operations, preparation and feedback from similar
activities. The Institute notes that half of precursor
events are rooted in maintenance non-qualities,
in particular in deficiencies in preparing operations,further supporting the previous recommendation.

160,000

ENHANCING NUCLEAR SAFETY

ANNUAL REPORT 2019

NUMBER OF OPINIONS GIVEN BY IRSNFOR PREPARING FOURTH 10-YEARLYOUTAGE INSPECTIONS AND RELATEDTIME SPENT BY IRSN

Operating experience feedback
from EDF’s nuclear power plant fleet

20

53,0006

Putting analyses of events declaredby operators to good use

In late 2019, in order to further improve the conditions
for assessing feedback, IRSN launched the PIREX
project, winner of the 2019 call for projects fromthe Fund for Government Modernization.
The fund’s mission is to increase the effectivenessof public action order to make better use of funds
that have been made available. The project will
create a digital platform for handling significant
events declared by French nuclear operators.
This platform should facilitate decompartmentalizing
the handling of feedback, drawing lessons
to guide IRSN’s assessment work, and offer,with the aid of artificial intelligence, analysis usefulfor all stakeholders involved in the continuous
improvement of nuclear safety. By proposing
an action with “enhanced assessment”, PIREX
is part of the objectives to which IRSN has agreed
in its 2019-2023 Performance Target Agreement.

BEFORE 2019

IN BRIEF
Safety review

IRSN completed the assessment of the ten-year safety review
of Orano plant UP2-800 for processing spent nuclear fuelin La Hague. The review included evaluation of the facility’scompliance with its safety basis and its safety review in lightof current best practices.



Dismantling

IRSN published a report on nuclear safety, radiation
protection and environmental protection issues resulting fromthe dismantling of pressurized water reactors. It addresses
the specific risks associated with the dismantlingand cleanup of equipment, structures and soil. It also covers
issues related to operators’ exposure to radiation, concurrent
operations and staggering them over time, as well asorganizational and human issues, including subcontracting
operations, and the transportation and storage of waste
and effluents.

26

2019

Number of opinions

Preparation of RP4-900

In 2019, IRSN continued its analysis of the provisions
adopted by EDF in the framework of the fourth
periodic review of the 900 MWe reactors (RP4-900).
It also undertook to prepare its summary opinion
on the review, which is scheduled for publication
at the end of the first quarter of 2020. The aim of the
10-yearly safety review of nuclear facilities is to verify
compliance with the applicable safety basis andimprove their level of safety by integrating operating
experience feedback and the latest knowledge.
The planned improvements will also make it possible
to complete the final phase of changes resulting
from the operating experience feedback from the
Fukushima Daiichi accident. The fourth 10-yearly
visits of the 900 MWe reactors highlighted twoparticularly important safety topics: the riskof corium melting through the foundation raft in theevent of a serious accident and the recirculationof cooling water accumulated at the bottomof the reactor containment in the event of a lossof coolant accident in the reactor coolant system.

BEFORE 2019

2019

Number of hours

For the latter, IRSN conducted tests at the
Viktoria facility in 2018 and 2019 in supportof its assessment. The facility, inaugurated in 2011by IRSN and Vuez, its partner in Slovakia, is used
to conduct experiments under conditions similar
to those likely to be encountered in different typesof nuclear reactors during a loss of coolant accident.
Finally, in the framework of this fourth review,
the Institute played a large part in the consultation
with civil society on safety improvements for 900
MWe reactors. Thus, since 2014, in coordination
with Anccli, it has sustained a technical dialogue
with civil society. It also participated in the public
consultation organized by the High Committee
on Transparency and Information on Nuclear
Safety from September 2018 to late March 2019and in the proposed public meetings and workshops.
It has prepared a list of frequently asked questions
available on the consultation website.
Through this technical dialogue, IRSN now refers
in its opinions to the main questions posed by the
public in the framework of the technical dialogue
and provides answers to the extent that is possible.

27

IRSN analyzed the nonconformities identified for two
safety-related systems in Flamanville reactors
1 and 2: emergency generators and cooling water
pumping stations (Opinion 2019-00281 of December
12, 2019). EDF highlighted corrosion damage
to the pipes and the air cooler supports of the four
emergency diesel generators at the Flamanvillenuclear power plant during additional checks
requested by the ASN following an inspection,in which IRSN participated, on August 30, 2019.
On December 2, 2019, during ASN’s inspection,in which the Institute also participated, numerous
deviations were also highlighted on the equipmentof the two pumping stations at the site.
After analysis, IRSN considered it essential thatthese deviations be resolved before restarting
the two reactors to ensure the functioningof the systems in all situations for which they werequalified, particularly in the event of an earthquake.

More generally, IRSN expressed its concern about
the situation encountered at the Flamanville siteand observed that ASN’s enhanced surveillance
and EDF’s action plan were likely to improve thesituation. For IRSN, the top priority of the operatorof Flamanville must be to make its facilities
compliant, starting with all equipment in the safety
demonstration, in order to calmly envisage therestart of the two reactors, with extensive analysesof the state of the facilities and site organization.

ENHANCING NUCLEAR SAFETY

ANNUAL REPORT 2019

Nonconformities affecting the reactors inoperation at the Flamanville nuclear power plant

Assessment of the periodic review of the
ATALANTE facility at the CEA Marcoule site

At the request of the French Nuclear Safety Authority(ASN), IRSN performed an assessment of the second
periodic review of the ATALANTE facility (alphaworkshops and laboratories for transuranic analysis
and reprocessing studies – INB 148), operated
by the CEA. The facility houses researchequipment for the processing of irradiated fuels
and packaging of high activity nuclear waste.
It consists of laboratories, cells and shielded
process lines spread over five buildings at the
Marcoule site. IRSN found the examinationof the facility’s compliance carried out by the CEA
to be suitable. Operating experience feedback
did not reveal any significant points, but particularattention should however be paid to integrating
safety requirements into operating documents
and ensuring crews apply the safety basis.
The safety review of the facility, although requiring
some additions, was generally satisfactory, with theoperator to continue actions to evaluate how the sitewould be affected in the event of an earthquake.

28

Review inspection
In October 2019, IRSN provided support
to ASN during the review inspectionof EDF’s Golfech nuclear power plant,
which mobilized 11 Institute experts and
13 ASN inspectors for five days.

Finally, no comments were necessary on the accident
situations studied as well as the conclusionsof the post-Fukushima complementary safetyassessments. On the basis of this information,
IRSN concluded that, in view of the operator’s
action plan and the commitments made during
the course of the assessment, the measurestaken for continued operation of INB 148 aresatisfactory. On June 19, 2019, the conclusionsof IRSN’s assessment were presented to the Advisory
Committee for Laboratories and Plants (GPU).

29

ANNUAL REPORT 2019

Olivier Dubois, Assistant to the Director of Safety
Assessment at IRSN

During the heat waves that affected France in the summer of 2019, IRSN
and ASN closely monitored the impact of high temperatures and reduced waterflows from heat sinks (rivers and canals) on the operation of nuclear power
plants. In particular, they requested that EDF measure temperatures in premises with safetycritical equipment. During the 2003 and 2006 heat waves, outdoor air temperatures measured
at the sites were higher than those retained in the design basis for the reactors. EDF thenestablished a “heat wave” baseline for each type of reactor to verify the correct operationof safety-critical equipment at higher air temperatures. Since then, some equipment has
been replaced with new models that are more resistant at high temperatures. Among themost important safety-critical equipment for a nuclear reactor, emergency diesel generators
provide electrical power for backup equipment in the event of an accident. Equipment
operation may be affected by high outside temperatures. EDF thus conducted tests
during the summer of 2019 on a dozen generators. IRSN is currently analyzing the results
and the conclusions will be made in the first half of 2020, with particular attention paid
to the changes planned by EDF to ensure reliable operation of generators during periodsof extreme heat. ASN also asked IRSN to draw the initial lessons from these heat waves
and determine the need for additional measures and monitoring of facilities required during
extremely hot periods.

Earthquake
Following the earthquake on November 11, 2019 in Le Teilin the Ardèche department in southern France, the reactors
in the Cruas nuclear power plant near the epicenter were shut
down. IRSN assessed the in-depth diagnosis of facilities
carried out by EDF before the reactors were restarted,with a focus on civil engineering structures and the conditionof safety-critical equipment. Beyond this initial analysis,the question arises of reassessing the seismic risk at theCruas and Tricastin power plants. To this end, EDF will submit
to ASN the conclusions of its analysis, which IRSN will assess
late in the first quarter of 2020.

30

Assessing the safety of defense-related
facilities and activities – Contributing
to security and nonproliferation

Word fromthe expert

Contributing to the safety of EDF’s nuclear power plant fleet
during periods of extreme heat

03

IRSN provides technical support to the competentauthorities in the fields of defense nuclear safety,
nuclear security, and nuclear and chemical
nonproliferation.
In this framework, the Institute upholds its commitment to examining
the reports for new defense facilities, reviewing the safety of existing
facilities and analyzing reports related to facilities undergoingdismantling. In 2019, it also examined the security reports of new
and existing nuclear facilities outside of the defense sector.
As part of the technical support it provides to the Ministry for Ecologicaland Inclusive Transition, IRSN participated in inspections, monitored
nuclear material transport operations on French soil and controlled
the nuclear material accounting records held by operators.
In the field of nuclear and chemical nonproliferation, it continued
its review of the reports relating to the Chemical Weapons
Convention, of which France is a signatory, and provided support
to the Euratom Technical Committee for international declarations.
Throughout the year, IRSN made progress in its digital transformation
with the ongoing reworking of its protected networks and thedigitization of nuclear material accountancy declarations, which
has significantly reduced the volume of print-outs and streamlined
processes, as well as with the development of software for thecomputer-based monitoring of nuclear material shipments.
Finally, in the field of research, last year IRSN developed its skills
in cybersecurity and in research into weapons and explosives throughpartnerships with the French-German Research Institute of Saint-Louis.

—

LAURENT MANDARD,
Director of Nuclear Defense Expertise and Security

Technical support to defense-related
facilities and activities

As part of the technical support it provides
to the Representative in charge of Nuclear Safety
and Radiation Protection for Defense-related
Activities and Facilities (DSND), in 2019 IRSN
continued its review of the safety measuresassociated with the core embarkationand criticality of the Suffren, the first nuclearpowered attack submarine in the Barracuda
program launched this year. This program
consists of the construction of six Suffren-classnuclear attack submarines (SSNs) to replace
the six Rubis-class SSNs. IRSN analyzed boththe safety reports specific to the submarines
and those related to their support infrastructure
in Cherbourg, Brest and Toulon. More broadly,
the Institute began assessing the studies
conducted in the framework of therenovation and adaptation of land-based
naval propulsion support facilities.
At the same time, IRSN carried out an analysisof the safety files for the naval nuclear
propulsion onboard the third-generation
nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine(SSBN). Finally, it supported the withdrawal
from service of Sapphire, the first Rubisclass SSN decommissioned by France.

PHYSICAL PROTECTION
OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS© Marine Nationale

Creation of the Defense
Nuclear Facilities Undergoing Dismantling
Assessment Unit

55

32

Word fromthe expert

111

technical notices issued to the MTES
Senior Defense and Security Official

Participation in the International
Cybersecurity Forum

Numerous security inspections,assessments and instructions

David RACIMOR,
Head of the Defense Nuclear
Facilities Undergoing
Dismantling Assessment Unit

technical notices and reports
submitted to the ASND

I I . N U C L E AR S EC U R I T Y

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Undergoing Dismantling
Assessment Unit (Bureau d’évaluation des installations
nucléaires de la défense en démantèlement, BEIND) was
created within IRSN’s Defense and Security Division in readinessfor the heightened safety assessment activity related
to the CEA Marcoule regulated nuclear defense facility, locatedin the Gard department, now mainly in the dismantling phase.
After opening in 2018, BEIND, which I was tasked with leading,examined several reports in 2019 on some of the mostimportant issues for the Marcoule site: the recovery of legacy
waste from decladding facilities and magnesium structural
waste, the safety review of the plutonium extraction plant,
the safety review preparation file for certain Generation-I
reactors, as well as the one for part of the site’s liquid effluent
treatment plant.

The regulations on the protection and control
of nuclear materials, in facilities and during transport(PCMNIT), laid down in Article R. 1333-1 of Decree
No. 2009-1120 of September 17, 2009, govern thepossession, use and transport of nuclear materials(deuterium, lithium-6, plutonium, thorium, tritiumand uranium). The application of this regulation
is monitored based on a program of inspections
conducted in nuclear facilities in operation, definedby the departments of the Senior Defense andSecurity Official of the Ministry for Ecologicaland Inclusive Transition. In 2019, as part of its
duties, IRSN contributed to around 100 inspections
conducted in facilities according to two methods:
firstly, technical assistance for which IRSN staff
act as inspectors on the authority of the Ministry,
and, secondly, technical support in which they
prepare inspections and escort the inspectors in thefield. As inspectors, they also carried out more than
30 inspections on shipments of nuclear materials.
Another area in which IRSN is involved at the serviceof public authorities is the assessment of security
studies for facilities holding nuclear materials.
These security studies are split into two sections:first of all, threat characterization, which consists
in presenting the assumptions adopted by theoperator to model the capacity for action for thedesign-basis threats of theft or sabotage, as definedby the national security directive applicable
to nuclear facilities; followed by the sensitivity study,
which consists in the operator identifying potential
targets at their facility in relation to the various threats
considered; and, finally, the facility vulnerability study,
which must demonstrate the ability of the security
measures implemented by the operator to protect
the targets identified against these various threats.

53

technical checks of approved
equipment for the transportof nuclear materials

35

shipment inspections

IRSN took advantage of its participation in conferencesat the International Cybersecurity Forum in Lille in January
to drive progress in a project to create a virtualization platform
for research into information systems. At the head of a delegationof cybersecurity specialists, its Deputy Director General in chargeof defense-related and national security missions consulted withpartners and industrial stakeholders in the field.

Coordinating security exercises
On behalf of the MTES Senior Defense and Security Official,
IRSN organized, led and evaluated two security protection
and assessment exercises (EPEES), involving several hundred
workers. One took place on Framatome’s site in Romans-sur-Isère,
the other at the CEA Marcoule center. These exercises tested theprotection measures put in place by operators, as well as how they
are coordinated alongside State resources, to deal with an actof terrorism.

In 2019, IRSN issued its opinion on the threat
characterization and sensitivity studies forseveral fuel cycle facilities. In 2019, IRSN also
submitted opinions on the incorporation of security
requirements from the design stage of projects
for future nuclear facilities. It therefore issued
opinions on the review of the security options reportfor EDF’s future centralized spent-fuel storage pooland on the preliminary information submitted on the
security of the Cigeo project for a deep geologicalradioactive waste repository. The Institute provided
the information to the Senior Defense and Security
Official prior to the start-up of Orano’s Philippe Coste
plant in late 2018, in readiness for it reachingits nominal capacity in 2021. Finally, experts fromthe Institute issued two opinions on the vulnerability
study for new facilities on the Framatome sitein Romans, as well as on the project for a new
response center located on the CEA Cadarachesite. It should be noted that the various analyses
conducted in this way by IRSN were done throughinteraction between the Institute’s safety experts
and security experts. In the field of nuclear materialtransport security, IRSN Transport Operations
examined over a thousand requests for authorization
to transport these materials submitted by licensed
carriers and then performed its role of operational
monitoring and alerting for shipments in progress.
For this purpose, it has an information system thatis undergoing an ambitious modernization program,as part of the digital transformation objective
set out in the 2019-2023 Performance Target
Agreement between the French State and IRSN.

ASSESSING THE SAFETY OF DEFENSE-RELATED FACILITIES AND ACTIVITIES – CONTRIBUTING TO SECURITY AND NONPROLIFERATIONANNUAL REPORT 2019

I. D EF ENSE NU C LE A R SA FE T Y

33

CHEMICAL

Support to the OPCWNUCLEAR

Contribution to IAEA activities

IRSN continued to play an active role with
the IAEA in the field of safeguards agreements
signed between IAEA and the signatory Statesto the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear
Weapons (NPT).
• The Treaty of Tlatelolco established the firstnuclear-weapon-free zone in Latin America andthe Caribbean. It was ratified by all 33 countries
concerned. One of its protocols requires theStates to sign a comprehensive safeguards
agreement with the IAEA. In March 2019, a draft
French declaration – prepared by IRSN on behalfof the Euratom Technical Committee (CTE) –was sent to the IAEA for the first time on small
quantities of nuclear material held in the French
Antilles, a region covered by the Treatyof Tlatelolco.
• In the context of discussions on IAEA
safeguards, IRSN contributed to the publicauthorities’ considerations by providing the
French authorities, in particular the CTE,
with technical information on potential changes
to current measures.

Visit by Isabelle Braun-Lemaire
In January 2019, Isabelle Braun-Lemaire, General
Secretary and Senior Defense and Security
Official of the Ministry for the Economy and
Finance, met with the IRSN team which, on her
behalf, is in charge of implementing the Chemical
Weapons Convention (CWC) in the industrial
sector. Her visit gave rise to in-depth discussions
on the activities carried out by the Institute for the
benefit of the State and industry.

IRSN provides technical support to the Ministryof Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Ministry
for the Economy and Finance for implementing
the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in thecivil sector throughout France. In 2019, for the firsttime, France provided support to the Organisation
for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)
through IRSN: as part of the OPCW’s mentoring
program, France hosted four representatives fromthe Côte d’Ivoire in charge of implementing
the Convention in their country. This task entrusted
to France reflects the OPCW’s recognition of theInstitute’s expertise and know-how in ensuringthat the Convention is properly implemented.
Another IRSN publication was presented
on this occasion: the booklet on preventing
the diversion of chemicals and chemical facilities,
developed in partnership with different federations
and labor unions in the chemical and textile
industries. The aim of the publication is to raiseawareness among the various stakeholders
about the dual-use products that they use.

Preparing for Brexit

At the 60 th Annual Meeting of the Instituteof Nuclear Materials Management (INMM), held in
California, IRSN presented its work, conducted for
the CTE, on the collection and evaluation of opensource data for the application of the Additional
Protocol to the safeguards agreement between
France, Euratom and the IAEA. INMM is one of theleading associations in the field of security andsafeguards for nuclear nonproliferation.

34

51

missions to escort inspections
involving international nuclear
material control

11

missions to escort international
inspections relating to theprohibition of chemical weapons

Guillaume Daniel, Head of the Nuclear Section
2019, a year filled with international relationsin the field of nonproliferation

Word fromthe expert

IRSN at the 60th INMM Annual
Meeting

Britain’s exit from the EU will change, at least
temporarily, the regulatory framework governing
the imports and exports of nuclear materials
between France and the UK. IRSN analyzed theconsequences that this will have for the Frenchauthorities, in particular in relation to priornotification and the associated timeframes.
It also assessed the impact that future changes
will have on its own tools developed
for managing notifications.

For IRSN, 2019 will have been marked by international relationsin the field of nonproliferation. First of all in March 2019, when the
Euratom Technical Committee, the Ministry for Ecological andInclusive Transition and IRSN hosted their British counterparts fromthe Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) in Paris. We discussed our respective
practices in terms of nuclear materials monitoring and control, which enabled
everyone to develop their vision of these activities in different national regulatory
frameworks. On this occasion, the French party presented the resources put
in place by France – in particular, the tools and Internet portals set up by IRSN –to meet its international obligations in this field. In May, the Institute joineda meeting with the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, the Euratom TechnicalCommittee and the Australian Safeguards and Non-proliferation Office (ASNO), which,on behalf of the Australian Parliament, is responsible for ensuring that France
meets the commitments made under a bilateral agreement signed with Australia
strictly limiting the use of radioactive materials imported to the civilian sector.
We provide ASNO with information for them to compare with their own data and withthose provided by third parties that use nuclear materials subject to this agreement.
With a view to efficiency, the discussions provided the French participants witha better understanding of the type of information that is useful to ASNO for carryingout its duty.

ASSESSING THE SAFETY OF DEFENSE-RELATED FACILITIES AND ACTIVITIES – CONTRIBUTING TO SECURITY AND NONPROLIFERATIONANNUAL REPORT 2019III. NONPROLIFE R AT ION

35

The fight against the illicit trafficking of radioactive
and nuclear materials is one of the ways in which
IRSN contributes to nuclear security. Preventing
this trafficking is based on the installationof radiation detection instruments, for which
it is difficult to assess the performance: there areseveral possible scenarios and configurations,the environment in which the detector is installed
has a significant impact on the results,
and there are numerous sources of uncertainty.
From 2016 to 2019, as part of a consortium
led by France Expertise, IRSN participatedin the Illicit Trafficking Radiological Assessment
Program (ITRAP+10) initiated by the European
Union and the United States to evaluate theperformance of commercial radiation detection
equipment available on the market. The program
consisted of two studies: one on the modelingof detection instruments and another on theirconfiguration according to the settings chosen
and the nature of the sources to be detected.
Within this framework, IRSN developed staticand dynamic equipment test benches
and conducted some 2,500 tests on different
detection instruments. It extrapolated the resultsof the tests carried out to validate the modelsof the detection instruments and to simulatesituations with sources passing by, in order
to assess the probability of detection of eachdetector depending on the sensitivity of theconfiguration. The Institute shared the resultsof its assessments in June 2019 in Portorož,Slovenia, at the 2019 ANIMMA International
Conference on Advancements in Nuclear
Instrumentation Measurement Methods and their
Applications. These results show a good correlation
between the detection instrument models
and the experimental data obtained. They makeit possible to select the operating characteristics
of a given detector to establish an optimal ratio
between the false alarm rate and the detection
probability for radioactive and nuclear materials.

Contributing to regulatory developments

2019 marks the tenth anniversary of theimplementation of Decree No. 2009-1120
on the protection and control of nuclear materials,
in facilities and during transport (PCMNIT).
At the request of the Ministry for Ecologicaland Inclusive Transition and in liaison with the
Euratom Technical Committee, IRSN provided anassessment on the prospects of future changes
to regulations. The Institute has in particularstudied the consequences of potential
developments on the implementationof the centralized nuclear material
accountancy system entrusted to it.
Its analysis focused on the effectivenessof monitoring and control, on the use of information
required to comply with international lawson the control of materials, such as the safeguards
agreement between France, Euratom and the
IAEA, and on certain bilateral commitments.

IRSN participated in an IAEA working group to develop
an online training course on accountancy and the control
of nuclear materials. As a trainer in the field of nuclear
material accountancy, it also contributed to a training
program organized by the IAEA in South Korea.

Training for IPPAS missions
Three IRSN employees were trained to fulfill missions of theInternational Physical Protection Advisory Service (IPPAS),a service undertaken by the IAEA at the request of a Member
State to assess its level of compliance with international goodpractices in nuclear security. This training provided by the IAEA
will enable IRSN to contribute to such missions.

OLIVIER FICHOT, Head of the Cybersecurity
and Protection Systems Research Unit
Cybersecurity management for industrial control
systems: IRSN employees honored

Digitalization

As the first step in a comprehensive approachto digitalization, in February IRSN set up PATIO,a telematics access portal for operators.
This digital platform intended for exchanges
between the centralized accountancy system
and nuclear material holders simplifies
and speeds up contact management.
In addition, 2019 saw a significant decline
in the volume of paper mail sent related to themonthly inventory check between the centralizedaccountancy system and operators’ local
accountancy records. This comprehensive
digitalization approach has been incorporated
into the renewed contract for the maintenanceand updating of the centralized nuclear material
accountancy software program (LCCMN),
the basis of centralized accountancy.

36

Contribution to IAEA training

IRSN’s Cybersecurity Unit is tasked with assessing the security of theinformation systems used by nuclear operators, starting with EDF,
Orano and CEA. To do so, it conducts studies, tests and inspections
on both their physical protection systems and on their I&C systems. These are
rapidly changing fields with regard to technology, which implies a continuous
effort on the part of the Institute to maintain its expertise. This is provided
through training seminars and ethical hacking competitions consisting in enteringa system (computer or robot) in order to identify any vulnerabilities and correct
them. In 2019, one of our employees was honored in a competition between
pen testers to hack industrial connected objects, while another employee wasawarded an American certification in cybersecurity management for industrial
control systems. Through training and competitions, IRSN is able to verify theeffectiveness of the measures put in place by operators and to make them awareof good practices for information system security. At the end of 2019, the Institutedeveloped a platform for virtualizing computer systems and will connect modules
to it in 2020 to partially simulate industrial I&C systems, access control systems,
etc., helping to strengthen its autonomy in this area.

ASSESSING THE SAFETY OF DEFENSE-RELATED FACILITIES AND ACTIVITIES – CONTRIBUTING TO SECURITY AND NONPROLIFERATION

Assessment of radiation detection
instruments for detecting thetrafficking of radioactive materials

NUCLEAR
MATERIAL ACCOUNTING

Word fromthe expert

ANNUAL REPORT 2019PHYSICAL MONITORINGOF NUCLEAR MATERIALS

37

04
38

PNGMDR: two IRSN reports issued
to inform the public debate
on radioactive waste management

Given the increasing frequency with which IRSN
is solicited by different stakeholders in society –MPs, local information commission members,
citizens, etc. – its experts must be able to provide
substantiated answers to the questions asked. In recent years, IRSN
has been increasingly called upon by health authorities to help themto understand the origins of clusters of diseases such as cancers
or malformations. In these circumstances, where it is very difficult
to establish a link between the effects observed and the causes, theInstitute provides scientific insights alongside other health agencies.
Moreover, to best address these questions about the link between
environment and health, IRSN, which collects large amounts of datain both of these fields, is developing tools that can cross-reference
all of this data thanks to artificial intelligence, which should makeit easier to establish potential links between environmental causes
and the consequences or impacts on health and to learn from themfor the management of radiological risk. Another trend is the growing
call for diagnostic techniques or therapy treatments that use ionizing
radiation. For IRSN, the rapid development of these techniques createsa closer link to the hospital world in the form of collaborations, enabling
it to closely monitor the changes to these techniques in orderto guarantee patients a high level of radiation protection.
Finally, in regard to research, the projects in which IRSN became
involved in 2019 reflect a step toward a heightened partnershipapproach in France, Europe and around the world.
—
JEAN-CHRISTOPHE GARIEL,
Deputy Director General in charge of the Health and Environment Division

IRSN conducts research and assessments of all
aspects related to the treatment and managementof radioactive waste. In order to provide technicaland scientific insights into the preparation of the
public debate on the fifth National Radioactive
Materials and Waste Management Plan
(2019-2021 PNGMDR), Chantal Jouanno, Presidentof the French National Public Debate Commission(CNDP), solicited IRSN for two assessments.
The first of the two reports submitted by IRSN
to the CNDP in May focuses on the analysisof the dry storage options for radioactive fuels.
The assessment considered the potential
suitability of dry storage for some spent MOX
and ERU fuels currently stored underwater.
It also reviewed possible changes to current dry
storage and transport concepts that would makethem suitable for spent fuels with residual heatlevels that are significantly higher than the current
reference values. This technical assessment
supplements the one conducted by IRSN in 2018
for the Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry into
the Safety and Security of Nuclear Facilities inFrance. The second report, International Panorama
of Research on Alternatives to Geological
Disposal of High- and Intermediate-Level LongLived Waste (HLW/ILW-LL), is a bibliographicalreview. Using information published by national
and international agencies (IAEA, OECD/NEA)
and in scientific journals, it identifies the main
alternatives to geological disposal exploredaround the world. It provides historical andscientific evidence to appreciate the context
in which these options came about, were explored
and, in some cases, rejected. It also identifies
any relevant technical and societal issues.

IN BRIEFPETAL, a portal for ordering
radioactive sources
IRSN has developed a collaborative tool throughwhich, in just a few clicks, its laboratories canorder the radioactive standard sources essential
for the development of their activities: calibrationof measuring instruments, marking of samples,
requirements related to COFRAC accreditation.
While reducing the processing time of orders,the portal makes it easy to track the unsealed
sources provided.

505

sampling points for radioactivity
monitoring throughout France

4,270
environmental samples
taken for radiologicalmeasurements

This work has provided citizens with foodfor thought on the key issues discussed in thevarious forums for public debate in which IRSN
experts and researchers actively participated.
By the same token, they informed
the public decision.

TAKING ACTION FOR PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENTTaking action for people
and the environment

ANNUAL REPORT 2019

I . PR OT ECT I N G T HE E N V I R O N M E N T

Radon: new tools, new measurement
campaigns

For several years, IRSN has been committed
to supporting public authorities and local
stakeholders in protecting against the dangers
related to the presence of radon in buildings, whichconstitutes a public health issue. This naturally
occurring radioactive gas is the second leading
cause of lung cancer in France after smoking.
With a view to accompanying the implementationof regulatory changes to radon risk managementin 2018 resulting from the transposition of European
Directive 2013/59/Euratom, IRSN carried out two
actions in support of public authorities. At the requestof the Directorate-General for Health, IRSN developed
a protocol for measuring radon concentrations
in a sample of facilities open to the public
in French Guiana, Wallis and Futuna and Saint
Pierre and Miquelon. The objective was to update
or obtain data prior to the implementation of radon
monitoring and risk management measuresin overseas regions. Measurement campaigns
conducted in French Guiana and Wallis and Futuna
in collaboration with local health authorities showedannual average radon concentrations below thereference level of 300 Bq/m3.
A campaign in Mayotte is also planned for 2020.
At the request of the Directorate-General for Labor,
the Institute developed a guide containing instruction
sheets for employers so that, in accordance with new
regulatory requirements, they are able to measure
the radon concentration themselves in workplaces
where it is likely to reach or exceed 300 Bq/m3.

39

Word fromthe expert

Investigations into the cause of a high level of tritium measured
in the Loire
During the year, IRSN conducted various investigations to understand the originof an unusually high level of tritium measured in the Loire River. On June 18,
the Association for Radioactivity Monitoring in Western France (ACRO), an approved
laboratory for the measurement of radioactivity in the environment, drew the attention of the
public and the authorities to the high level of one of the tritium measurements carried out in the
Loire riverbed, in Saumur, during a citizen measurement campaign in the river’s drainage basin.
Two days later, IRSN published a notice confirming the exceeded value, without any health issue,
revealed by ACRO and specifying its strategy for identifying the causes of the anomaly. “As partof its responsibility regarding the radiological monitoring of the environment, the Institute is taking
urgent action to eliminate any doubt about a suspected abnormal situation that could affectthe integrity of the ecosystems”, explains Michel Baudry. IRSN then investigated three avenues:
a discharge of tritium from one or more of the operator’s facilities; hydrological conditions
prevailing at the time of the sampling; and a discharge from a source other than EDF. Following
its checks, calculations, modeling of tritium transfer and surveys, IRSN published its findings in
October: the anomaly was in all likelihood related to the hydrological characteristics of the Loire
River at the time of sampling, since the sample measured was probably taken in an area where
the water had not mixed properly. However, considering the unusually high tritium concentration
observed (310 Bq/L), IRSN decided to further investigate by organizing a new sampling andmeasurement campaign with ACRO in 2020.

This year, IRSN contributed to the developmentof the Franco-Swiss platform jurad-bat.net, which
was launched in June 2019. This knowledgesharing tool on indoor air pollution and radon
will promote the pooling of skills and experienceand contribute to training professionals in theregion in radon risk management. A measurement
campaign initiated by IRSN in Baume-les-Dames,in collaboration with the Doubs Center for Balanced
Urban and Rural Development, showed that 25%of the results exceed 300 Bq/m3. IRSN
supported the private individuals involvedin studying solutions to reduce radon
concentrations, in partnership withexperts in the construction industry.

Report on the Radiological State of the Environment in France
IRSN presented and commented on its analysis of the results of measurements
carried out between 2015 and 2017 in the environment surrounding nuclear sites
in France by the various member organizations of the National Environmental
Radioactivity Measurement Network (RNM). This report shows that the radioactivity
levels measured are highly stable. It includes assessments of the doses likely to bereceived by populations living near the sites. For the first time, it presents a section
on former mining sites.

40

502

monitors make up France’s
remote monitoring network,

including438
Téléray stations

2nd report on children’s exposure throughdiagnostic medical imaging

Medical imaging is undeniably beneficial to patientcare. It is, however, the main factor contributing
to the population’s exposure to artificial ionizing
radiation, to which children are especially sensitive.
As part of its duty to monitor the radiobiological
exposure of the French population, which it
has been carrying out since 2003, the Institutededicates a specific report to the monitoringof children under 16 years of age.
To do so, it implements the national ExPRI
system (exposure of the population to ionizing
radiation) through which it provides authorities
and health professionals with up-to-date data on
the monitoring of the various medical procedures:conventional, dental and interventional diagnostic
radiology, computed tomography and nuclear
medicine.
Its second report highlights a marked decreasein the radiological exposure of children in France
for the 2010-2015 period, even though the averagefrequency of medical imaging procedures remained
relatively stable, both in number and in breakdown
by imaging method.
In 2015, 604 diagnostic procedures were carried out
per 1,000 children, an increase of 1.5% comparedwith 2010. The annual effective dose for exposed
and non-exposed children fell by 25%. The effective
dose for exposed children dropped by 34%.
This observed decrease in exposure is therefore
exclusively due to the overall decrease in average
dose per medical imaging procedure.
It is explained by improvements in technology
and the optimization of practices in radiology
departments and clinics, both of which are
the result of intensified awareness campaigns
conducted by the authorities and learned societies.

Report on occupational exposure
IRSN presented its annual report on the exposure to ionizing radiationof approximately 400,000 workers monitored in the health, nuclear, industrial,
research and air transport sectors. Revealing a small change in indicators,
the report confirms the need to maintain specific monitoring in the fields
of dismantling, subcontracting and interventional radiology.

Treatment of an irradiated patient
Under the auspices of the IAEA, IRSN
contributed to the care of a Georgianpatient at Percy Military Hospital who was
accidentally exposed to radiation twenty years
ago. Suffering from severe complications,the patient received treatment involving
a combination of reconstructive surgery andcell therapy. This new medical protocol is
the fruit of the continuous improvement ofknowledge on the treatment of radiationinduced lesions in which IRSN participates.

TAKING ACTION FOR PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENTANNUAL REPORT 2019

Michel BAUDRY, Deputy Director of the Environment

I I . PL AYI N G AN ACT I V E R O L E
I N PUB L I C HE ALT H

599

whole-body counts
for the individual monitoringof workers, including

421

using mobile facilities

41

ANNUAL REPORT 2019
Collaborationagreement with Nagasaki
University

Pascale SCANFF, Head of Data Use and Application
Development (SVDDA)

Word fromthe expert

AI in the service of exposed workers

42

IRSN is one of the 15 winners of the State’s call for expressions of interest to experimentwith artificial intelligence in the public service. As such, it will develop a prototype
automatic alert system to assist in the monitoring of workers exposed to ionizing radiation.
The efforts of a team of experts in radiation protection and data use at IRSN were key
to the success of this project. IRSN will explore the use of algorithms to develop a tool capableof automatically detecting abnormal dose values among a set of measurement results. This will growwith the data on the context of the worker’s exposure available on the SISERI platform managed by
the Institute: sector of activity, occupation and dose kinetics over time. The national SISERI register
centralizes, verifies and stores data from the dosimetric monitoring of the 400,000 workers exposed
to ionizing radiation in France. The individual dose values recorded are currently compared to thelimits set by regulations in accordance with the principle of exposure limitation.
By providing indications with regard to the work context, the future alert system will facilitate theapplication of the principle of radiation protection optimization ALARA: keeping the dose received“As Low As Reasonably Achievable„.
This project provides IRSN with the opportunity to make the most of its skills in data science.
It confirms its desire to experiment with AI techniques in order to improve the effectiveness of its
monitoring work in the field of radiation protection. The method of automatically detecting anomalies
in data sets will have many uses on the large volume of data obtained by the Institute throughmonitoring.

Developing international
cooperation

During several scientific seminars in which IRSN
participated in Japan, the Institute signed a collaborationagreement with Nagasaki University to study theeffects of ionizing radiation on living organisms
through experimental and epidemiological research.
This approach is part of IRSN’s commitment
to strengthening its links with the various Japaneseorganizations specializing in radiobiology.

05

Whether in the field of research or assessment,international partnerships are an increasingly
strategic lever of development for IRSN. Seeking
greater proximity and interactivity, the teams in theInternational Affairs Division and in IRSN’s functional and operational
divisions are working together more closely. This closeness makes
it possible to better identify the research or assessment subjects
in which IRSN and its counterparts around the world have skills
and technical resources that can be pooled, particularly throughcooperation agreements, in order to improve efficiency.
For example, in research most of the large experimental facilities
under the leadership of IRSN are already being operated withthe support of its traditional partners and seeing new players,
such as China, join forces. This is the case for GALAXIE,
for instance, a facility for research into the control of fire risk in nuclear
facilities, or the ODOBA platform for the study of concrete pathologies
and their consequences for nuclear building structures, etc.
In the field of assessments, IRSN and some strategic partners suchas its Belgian counterpart, Bel V, or its German one, GRS, share theirskills and good practices as part of their cross-examinationof major safety reports. Finally, in fields such as emergency responsemanagement – a strategic objective in the Performance Target
Agreement between the French State and IRSN – the memorandumof understanding signed with the United States will contributeto strengthening the Institute’s level of emergency preparedness.

—

CYRIL PINEL,
Director of International Affairs

43

IN BRIEF

IRSN safety assessments for the development of Small
Modular Reactors (SMR)

EUROSAFE

Participation in the IAEA
General Conference

IRSN participates in the work of the G7

Under France’s G7 Presidency in 2019, IRSN
hosted experts from the Nuclear Safety
and Security Group (NSSG) at the Cadarachesite in southeastern France in April 2019. At theinitiative of the French G7 Presidency, NSSG
members studied the question of the “availability
and sustainability of scientific assessment
to support nuclear safety decisions”.
On this occasion, research facilities were
presented to the NSSG delegation: the CABRI
experimental reactor, which aims to study the
behavior of fuel rods during reactivity injection
accidents; the GALAXIE platform, used to
study fire risk in nuclear facilities; and the ODE
platform, used to simulate the accelerated
aging of the concrete used to construct them.
During discussions with experts fromthe Institute, the delegation addressed,
among other things, the challenges
of maintaining a high-level research tool
to support assessment work, as existing
research facilities age or are closed, in particular
to ensure that knowledge and experience arepassed on to the younger generation of experts.

IRSN actively participated in the 63rd IAEA General
Conference, held in Vienna on September 16-20,
2019, with a scientific forum on health and theuse of ionizing radiation, a source of innovation
for treating cancer. The General Conference
provides Member States with an opportunity
to share details about their nation’s nuclear
program and various current issues, particularlyin the scientific field. High-level contributors
included several experts from the Institute, witha speech by Marie-France Bellin, Professorof Medicine and Chair of the IRSN Boardof Directors on technological advances in nuclear
and radiological medicine. Outside the conference,
IRSN participated in several side eventson the aging of nuclear facilities or the lessons
to be learned from the treatment of a Georgianpatient suffering from radiological burns at Percy
Hospital, with the support of the Institute. Lastly,
the final seminar of the European FASTNET project
took place during the Conference. The project
involves 20 partners from 18 countries, alongwith the IAEA, and aims to provide faster, morestructured responses to emergency situations
at most nuclear power plants in order to better
protect the surrounding population. Bilaterally
speaking, IRSN has been solicited on numerous
occasions and, through the signing of agreements,
has consolidated its relations with its principal
partners (Belgium and Finland), while opening
up prospects for new partnerships with othercountries, such as Canada, Spain and Singapore.

Word fromthe expert

The annual EUROSAFE Forum was held on November 4 and 5
in Cologne, Germany, bringing together the teams of European
technical safety organizations (TSOs) to discuss nuclear
safety and radiation protection issues. EUROSAFE was also
an opportunity to exchange with TSO partners: a total of
16 institutions were present, including the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA). The next Eurosafe Forum will be held inParis from November 2-3, 2020.

IRSN is actively involved in discussions on the safety approaches for Small Modular
Reactors (SMR). These small, modular, low-power reactors are designed to be
manufactured and assembled in series, in the factory, to facilitate their installation
on site. The power of these reactors is less than 300 MWe, giving them intrinsic safety properties
that are generally better than higher-power reactors that use the same technology. Their specificcharacteristics (compactness, more extensive use of "passive" systems, construction method,etc.), however, raise new issues. For several years, the IAEA SMR Regulators’ Forum has sought
to better understand and anticipate the developments necessary both in terms of regulations
and safety assessment practices for this type of reactor. It brings together the safety authoritiesof the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Russian Federation and China, and makes
recommendations to design engineers and potential operators. In this way, IRSN shares its
experience in the safety assessment of standardized reactors, as well as in recent projects,
such as the Flamanville EPR. As Vice Chair of the Forum, I speak regularly, for instance to express
the position of the SMR Regulators’ Forum to the NEA Committee on Nuclear Regulatory Activities
in June, and more recently during a side event of the IAEA General Conference relating to theRegulatory Cooperation Forum.

Cooperation with the National
University of Singapore

As part of the partnership on nuclear safety
training signed in 2015 with the National
University of Singapore (NUS), in February 2019
IRSN hosted representatives from the National
Research Foundation (NRS) and the Singapore
Nuclear Research and Safety Initiative (SNRSI).
The aim of the visit was to review cooperation
between the two entities and to discuss
the content of a new agreement to strengthen
the collaboration. The fields covered by current
cooperation include safety assessments withsevere accident modeling, emergency response
and the training of Singaporean experts throughthe European Nuclear Safety Training and Tutoring

DEVELOPING INTERNATIONAL COOPERATIONANNUAL REPORT 2019

Karine Herviou, Director of Systems, New Reactors
and Safety Initiatives

Institute (ENSTTI).In this context, ENSTTIand SNRSI signed a cooperation agreement
for training and tutoring in the field of nuclear safety
and radiation protection. Thus, several nationaland regional training courses have been carriedout by IRSN, ENSTTI and SNRSI in Singapore.
Similarly, several Singaporean interns cameto IRSN for training courses or tutoring lasting
one to six months. For the renewed agreement,
the Singaporean representatives would liketo extend the areas of cooperation,in particular to include environmental fields,such as radiochemistry, and the effectsof radiation (radiobiology). Additionally, IRSN
and the SNRSI are interested in developing researchexchange programs between laboratories.

Emergency response
Cooperation
On the occasion of the visit by the Director of NSC, IRSN’s counterpart TSO in China, accompanied
by a representative of the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China, IRSN and NSC
renewed the bilateral cooperation agreement on safety and radiation protection for ten years. NSC highlighted
its interest in the technical subjects of dismantling, reprocessing and research on severe accidents.
This interest was confirmed during the French President’s state visit to China, during which a memorandumof understanding on fuel safety was signed between IRSN and the NSC. During the visit, cooperation was
also suggested on the question of concrete aging, thereby opening up the prospect of broadened and longterm cooperation between IRSN and the NSC.

44

241

bilateral cooperationagreements in force withresearch and assessment
organizations

47

international projects
in progress under
the aegis of OECD NEA,
the European Commission
or the ANR

49

countries involvedin these agreements

A workshop was held in January 2019
between IRSN and the Japaneseagency JAEA on the topic of emergency
preparedness and response. The seminarprovided an opportunity to discuss themeasurement strategy for establishingpost-accident zoning and to introduce
the emergency response organizations
from the two entities.

45

In 2019, IRSN renewed the framework agreementwith Bel V, a long-standing partner of theInstitute, for five years. This agreement facilitates
cooperation and technical discussions in thefield of radiation protection and nuclear safety.
In this framework, cross-assessments werecarried out, confirming the respective positionsof the two institutes on certain sensitive
subjects, such as the structural damage
to a bunkered building at Doel nuclear power plant.
In addition, several joint research projects
are being conducted with Bel V, including theEuropean FASTNET project completed in 2019.
The FASTNET project led to the two partners
discussing the ‘3D/3P’ assessment method usedat IRSN in emergency response situations
to diagnose the situation and make a prognosis
as to its development, as well as the utility of having
effective tools to assess the releases. Finally,
IRSN participated in the drafting of bids for calls
to tender within the framework of the Instrument
for Nuclear Safety Cooperation (INSC), in consortia
involving Bel V and other Belgian partners.

Security
IRSN met with its U.S. counterparts as part of the
12th IRSN-DOE/NNSA Permanent CoordinatingGroup in early September. Thanks to constructive
discussions, the two partners plan to create new
projects in the fields of cybersecurity, the effects
of weapons and explosives, and measurement
methods for nuclear and radiological materials
safeguards and security.

Dismantling
IRSN is now a member of the new committee
on the dismantling of nuclear facilities and the
management of legacy sites created within the
NEA to help its members to manage a wide range
of issues related to dismantling. The Institute willcontribute to the harmonization of nuclear safety
practices and approaches for the dismantling andmanagement of legacy sites.

Participation in ETSON workTools for emergency response
In March 2019, IRSN signed a memorandumof cooperation with the NRC’s Office of Nuclear
Security and Incident Response (NSIR) tostrengthen cooperation between the two entities.
This partnership provides for cross-participation
with observers during exercises in France andthe United States in order to compare the various
analysis and diagnosis/prognosis methods, as wellas the computer codes used in emergencies.

Assistance
IRSN is involved in 12 of the 13 tasks in the INSC
contract to provide assistance to the Chinese
safety regulator (NNSA/NSC). In particular,
the Institute is involved in developing the nuclear
safety R&D program. Through this work, 43 themes
were identified for which the NSC participatedin international bodies along with 14 research
programs involving Chinese and European
organizations.

46

IRSN is particularly active in ETSON, the European
Technical Safety Organisations Network. In 2019,ETSON members were dedicated to responding
to and winning the European Commission’s callto tender for the technical implementationof safety directive 2013/59/Euratom.
The work is still in progress and the results
will be presented at the Commission in 2020.
Discussions are also ongoing to establish a closer
relationship between ETSON and the Western
European Nuclear Regulators’ Association(WENRA) through technical collaboration.
This would strengthen the European safetyarchitecture, built around the European
Commission, national regulators andtechnical safety organizations.
In addition, ETSON continues to develop
with the creation of a group tasked with
communicating and promoting the role of TSOs.
ETSON has also just published an update
to its Safety Guide, the umbrella document
for its Technical Safety Assessment Guides.

Informing the public

ANNUAL REPORT 2019

Partnership renewed with Bel V

06

One of the tasks in the general interest entrusted
to IRSN is the contribution to informing the public
on nuclear and radiological risks. It is an activity
that requires a clear, educational approachin order to enable a wide audience – school
audiences, the general public, the press, etc. – to better understandand apprehend the challenges of nuclear risk control. To achieve
this aim, the Institute has developed its communication strategy
to extend the reach of its actions.
IRSN is now developing a wide range of material: publications, digitalcontent (websites, social networks, etc.), data visualization, podcasts,
videos, exhibitions, conferences...

—

MARIE RIET-HUCHELOUP,
Director of Communications

pages viewed on the IRSN website

151,742More educational communication thatis adapted to new modes of communication

Throughout 2019, IRSN has enhanced its
communication by adapting it to new formats
and taking a more educational approach. Social
media is now an integral part of our daily lives.
For several years, IRSN has taken advantageof this new opportunity to inform and interact
with its audiences by adapting its communication
to these new formats. It is now present
on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.
In 2019, in order to broaden the scope of its
knowledge while applying a clear and educational
approach to sometimes very technical notices
and reports, IRSN developed communicationmaterials for educational purposes.
Thus, through the Institute’s involvement in thefifth National Radioactive Materials and Waste
Management Plan (PNGMDR), it has made six
podcasts available to a vast audience via social
media (LinkedIn, Twitter, website), not only to
explain the challenges of the Plan and IRSN’s
involvement but also to make the technical aspectsof the debate more accessible (difference in andfeasibility of different waste storage options,for example). On Twitter, campaigns to informand decode science have raised our profile.
For example, the campaign carried out on Twitterand LinkedIn about the IRSN 2019 Barometeron risk perception and safety (48 messages on themain lessons learned from the Barometer between
October 2 and November 6, 2019) contributed
to an increase of more than 15% in our Twitter
following and of more than 60% on LinkedIn.
At the end of the year, the earthquake in Le Teilcalled on the action of IRSN experts. Explaining
this earthquake and the risks associated was
one of the communication challenges
for IRSN: a video was produced, led by an IRSN
expert who provided the educational material
to understand the significance of this event.
Broadcast on our digital platforms and ourYouTube channel, its success confirmed the valueof adapting our communication to new uses.

pages viewed in the section on research261

notices and reports published on the IRSN website

IN BRIEF
Education
In October, IRSN participated in the Science Day in mainland France,overseas regions and abroad with the theme "Talk Science, Imagine
the Future", including: a Science Live event at Forum des Halles(Paris), a "Video makers Celebrate Science!" evening, an open day
for schools, and a science workshop in Cadarache.

Environment
As part of IRSN’s educational activities for high school students,
radioactivity measurements were carried out alongside teams fromthe Cherbourg-Octeville Radioecology Laboratory. After focusing
on radioactivity in water in 2018, 2019 was concentrated onmonitoring the radioactivity in the air.

GROWING AUDIENCES

Informing the public

16,030followers onTwitter48

18,806
followers on LinkedIn

3,022

Understanding radioactivity

To develop citizen’s knowledge of nuclear andradiation protection, IRSN and the ASN createdan educational exhibition, made available
to mayors, teachers, local informationcommissions, representatives of associations,and health professionals. Consisting of around80 exhibit panels broken down into 10 themedsequences, the exhibition "Radioactivity:
Hundreds of Questions, One Exhibition" provides
clear and objective information on radioactivity,
its uses, risks, and its effects on health andthe environment. In 2019, it was presented
49 times, mostly in schools and hospitals.

Making expertise accessible,
understanding research.

During the public debate on the French
National Radioactive Materials and Waste
Management Plan (PNGMDR), IRSN
organized a press trip in July 2019.
The purpose of this trip was for journalists
to discuss the various technical and scientificapproaches to radioactive waste management,
notably dry storage. Seven print journalists fromnational and regional press agencies and media
outlets visited two storage sites in Switzerland:
Gösgen and Zwilag. Alongside IRSN experts,
the journalists were also able to discuss the
topic with members of the Swiss Federal Nuclear
Safety Inspectorate (IFSN) and the Swiss Federal
Office of Energy, an agency at the Federal
Department of the Environment and Energy.
The press trip was rounded off with a visit
to the Tournemire experimental station where
IRSN experts presented the Institute’s research
programs in the field of deep geological disposal.
IRSN also organized a press visitin November
2019 to its Le Vésinet site, in order topresent to journalists the resources it uses
to perform its regulatory duty of radiologicalmonitoring of the environment.

We presented an exhibition
on radioactivity at Besançon
University Hospital during
Patient Safet y Week lastNovember. The exhibit panels
were installed in the mainhall, where they would not be
missed by the public and professionals
passing through, with the nuclear medicine
health executive and radiation protection
officer present for one hour each day.
This gave us the chance to talk with visitors
about three topics: background irradiation,radon and the use of radiation in hospitals.
The exhibition prompted questions anddiscussions with both visitors and patients.
The former were particularly interested inradiation at altitude (through air travel)
and radon exposure; the latter were moreconcerned with the various levels ofradiation they may have received throughdiagnostic imaging procedures.»—
Éric Daguet, Health Executive at Besançon
University Hospital – Radiation Protection
Officer.

INFORMING THE PUBLICANNUAL REPORT 2019

4,165,880

The Institute contributes to continuous
monitoring in the field of radiation protection
and in particular to the radiological monitoringof the environment. It is also responsible
for managing and processing dosimetric dataon workers exposed to ionizing radiation,
as well as the inventory of radioactive sources.
During the visit, the journalists observed samples
of soil and plants being taken, followedby the analysis of the environmental samples.
This information campaign enabled journalists
to understand all of the means used by IRSN
to carry out its duties: air monitoring networks(Téléray, OPERA-Air); water monitoring(Hydrotéléray), analysis of rainwater near nuclear
sites; sampling for all environments (terrestrial,
continental and marine aquatic, groundwater,
atmospheric); provision of radioactivity monitoringdata for the environment in France throughthe National Measurement Network (RNM)
and the website www.mesure-radioactivite.fr/en

followers on Facebook

49

Leading responsibly

Creation of a Risk
and Performance Division

In 2019, as part of its efforts to modernize
and transform its public efforts, IRSN establisheda Risk and Performance Division. It unites the key
functions that contribute to the developmentof an integrated risk management system,
including data protection and information systemsecurity. Implementation of the system must
be based on the tools that provide structure
for the Institute, i.e., the quality management
system and audits, while strengthening
an approach founded on ethics and professional
conduct and developing a compliance policy,
essential to the institution’s credibility.

Renewal of ISO 9001 certification

Certified since 2007, the Institute obtained
a three-year renewal of ISO 9001 certification
for all its activities and sites in 2019.
Among the strengths identified by the certificationbody are the Institute’s relationships with its
many stakeholders, including civil society,and the coherence of the strategic alignmentof all divisions with the Performance Target
Agreement. The auditors however encouraged IRSN
to expand its efforts to identify the expectationsof its stakeholders and to simplify its validationlevels for certain deliverables. Progresson these subjects will be reviewed during
the next monitoring audit, scheduled for 2020.

LEADING RESPONSIBLY

ANNUAL REPORT 201907
50

I . M AN AG I N G R I S K

IN BRIEF
Ethics and professional conduct
Renewed at the end of 2018, the Ethics Commission presented
its progress report to the IRSN Board of Directors. Specifically,
the document reviews application of IRSN’s Code of Ethics
and Professional Conduct. The Commission recommends
a greater effort to accompany employees in the process. It also
recalls the Commission’s goal of providing IRSN with outside
insight into questions of ethics and professional conduct related
to all its missions.

51

Agreements
In February 2019, IRSN signed a method agreement on the managementof jobs and career paths. It provides for the separate negotiation of strategic
workforce planning issues, measures to assist occupational mobility andvocational training. The negotiations resulted in agreement on strategic
workforce planning and progress on measures to accompany mobility.

The negotiations culminated in a unanimous
agreement on November 8, 2019 which takes into
account the regulatory developments of 2017
and the need for flexibility in organizing worksought by managers and employees. Thus, three
options of annual packages of teleworking days
are offered with significant flexibility in planning
fixed days. In addition, employees for whom regularteleworking is not possible now have access on an
occasional basis. These new conditions also reflect
IRSN’s willingness to respond to issues of societal
responsibility and institutional transformation.

III. CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR)
A new CSR dynamic

Committed since 2010 to sustainable development,
IRSN sought to stimulate a new dynamic
encompassing the entire field of corporatesocial responsibility in 2019. The decisionbuilds on a commitment reaffirmed in the
2019-2023 Performance Target Agreement andon discussions carried out as part of IRSN 2030.
As a result, the Institute should now be able
to undertake the ISO 26000 process, which defines
how organizations can and should contributeto sustainable development. With the creationof a CSR mission within the Transformation Divisionand the appointment of a delegate in July 2019,
the Institute is committed to a comprehensive
policy integrated at all levels: strategic decisions,processes and day-to-day practices.

An initial inventory of the Institute’s actions
under its CSR policy was launched in 2019.
It will continue in 2020 by identifying actions
carried out within the framework of the new
CSR effort. Performance indicators will also
be discussed to evaluate new efforts.

Agreement on the Social and Economic Committee
On June 3, 2019, IRSN’s management and two of the three representativetrade union organizations signed an agreement on the functioning of theSocial and Economic Committee and the right to organize. The agreement
is concluded pursuant to the Order of September 22, 2017 on the neworganization of social dialogue providing for the replacement, no later thanJanuary 1, 2020, of all the current bodies – Works Council, Staff Delegatesand Health Committee, Safety and Working Conditions (CHSCT) – by asingle body, the Social and Economic Committee (CSE). This single bodyis composed of different commissions and delegations. The main objectiveof the agreement reached within IRSN is to continue to foster high quality
social dialogue.

LEADING RESPONSIBLY

GENERA L M A N AGEM ENT

Since January 2019, the Gender Equality Index has been used to evaluate
occupational equality between women and men in enterprises with morethan 50 employees. In 2018 IRSN received the overall score of 88/100 and
can thus be considered an enterprise that carefully oversees professional
equality between women and men.

OPERATION AL DIVISIONS

After four years of experience, IRSN sought
to relax and expand the use of teleworking so that
this option can fully constitute a tool for improving
performance while creating a better balance
between work and personal life.

Equality

FU NCTION A L DIVISIONSANNUAL REPORT 2019

Guidance through change

As part of reorganizing operation andsupport functions, the Institute accompanied
employees from the initial discussions
through implementation of the neworganization on July 1, 2019 through:• a unanimous agreement providing for staff
representatives at IRSN’s major sites fora monthly meeting to address the concernsof employees affected by the reorganization;• an assistance unit whose role is tolisten to employees about their careerchange wishes and their feelings;• an occupational psychologist
available for counseling;• a monitoring committee chaired by the Director
General, with the participation of the secretaryof the Central Committee for Health, Safety
and Working Conditions, to handle feedback.
This very comprehensive mechanism has enabled
employees to express themselves, resolve complex
situations and make the necessary adjustments
for a better functioning of the organization.

Tailored teleworking program

52

I V. O R G AN I Z AT I O N C HART
AS O F F E B R UARY 1, 2 0 2 0

II. HUMA N R ESOU R C ES

Director General
Jean-Christophe NIEL

Deputy Director Generalin charge of Defenserelated Missions
Louis-Michel GUILLAUME

Deputy Director Generalin charge of Nuclear
SafetyThierry CHARLES

Executive Director for
Emergency Response
Philippe DUBIAUDefense, Security
and Nonproliferation
Division
Louis-Michel GUILLAUME
Nuclear Defense
Assessment
Laurent MANDARD

Deputy Director Generalin charge of Healthand Environment
Jean-Christophe GARIEL

Executive Director for
Scientific Assessment
François BRÉCHIGNAC

Health andEnvironment Division
Jean-Christophe GARIEL

Deputy Director Generalin charge of Assets
and Real Estate
Jean-Bernard CHÉRIÉAdvisors:Jérôme JOLY

Nuclear Safety Division
Thierry CHARLES

HealthJean-Michel BONNET

Nuclear Safety
Expertise
Fréderic MENAGE

Environment
François BESNUS

Safety Research
Patrice GIORDANO
Systems, New Reactors
and Safety Initiatives
Karine HERVIOU

Assets and Real
Estate Division
Jean-Bernard CHÉRIÉFontenay-aux-Roses
Site Director*:
Jean BATTISTON
Cadarache Site
Director*:
Jean-Bernard CHÉRIÉLe Vésinet Site Director*:
Jean-Pierre VIDAL

Strategy Division

General Secretariat

Patrice BUESOFlorence BRAVACCINIInternational Affairs
DivisionTransformation
Division

Cyril PINEL

Michel ENAULT

Risk and Performance
Division

Communications
Division

Sylvie SUPERVIL

Marie RIET-HUCHELOUP

Business Units / Subsidiaries

Accounting OfficeInternational Business
Development

Isabelle FLORY

Jean-Marie MATTEI* Created as part of IRSN’s new operationalframework and put in place on July 1, 2019,the function of site director is a significant contribution
to the proper governance of the Institute.
Representing the director general in work with local
institutional stakeholders to strengthen IRSN’s
position in the region, the site director also serves
as the director general’s delegate in the fieldof health, safety and environmental protection,and manager of internal emergency situations.
The site director oversees proper implementationof policies and strengthening team cohesion at sites.
Independent of the business hierarchy, the site
director ensures the sites are anchored in thegeneral governance of the Institute and promotes
the development of close ties between employees
and site units as well as general management.

53

V I . G OV E R N I N G B O D I ES
BOARD OF DIRECTORSAS OF FEBRUARY 1, 2020
Responsibilities

The Board of Directors, throughits deliberations, rules on mattersof IRSN’s governance. This includes
the general conditions governing
the Institute’s organization andoperation, its strategy and program,and its annual report. It also approves
the budget, amending budgets,
year-end financial statements
and income appropriation.

• A member of Parliament

Perrine GOULET,
Parliamentarian, Nièvre department• A senator

Stéphane PIEDNOIR,
Senator, Maine-et-Loire department• Ten government
representatives

A representative of the Minister
for Defense,
pending nomination[1] Jean-Christophe NIEL,
Director General[2] Louis-Michel GUILLAUME,
Deputy Director Generalfor Defense Missions, in chargeof the Defense, Security
and Nonproliferation Division[3] Jean-Bernard CHÉRIÉ,
Deputy Director General in chargeof the Assets and Real Estate
Division[4] Thierry CHARLES,
Deputy Director General in chargeof the Nuclear Safety Division

54

[5] J
 ean-Christophe GARIEL,
Deputy Director General in chargeof the Health and Environment
Division[6] J érôme JOLY,
Advisor to the Director General[7] S ylvie SUPERVIL,
Director for Risks
and Performance[8] F rançois BRÉCHIGNAC,
Executive Director for Scientific
Assessment[9] M ichel ENAULT,
Director for Transformation[10] Patrice BUESO,
Director for Strategy[11] Cyril PINEL,
Director for International Affairs[12] Marie RIET-HUCHELOUP,
Director of Communications[13] Florence BRAVACCINI,
General Secretary[14] Philippe DUBIAU,
Executive Director
for Emergency Responsereporting to the Director General

Élisabeth BLATON,
Deputy Head of Nuclear Safety
and Radiation Protectionin the Technological Risks
Department, representing
the Minister for the EnvironmentJoëlle CARMES,
Deputy Director of Environmental
and Food Risk Prevention at the
French Directorate General for Health,representing the Minister for HealthAurélien LOUIS,
Deputy Director for the Nuclear
Industry, Directorate Generalfor Energy and Climate, representing
the Minister for Energy
Frédéric RAVEL,
Scientific Director of the Energy,
Sustainable Development, Chemistry
and Process Department of the
Directorate General for Researchand Innovation, representing
the Minister for ResearchMartin CHASLUS,Head of the Risk Resilience
Assessment Office of the Directorate
General for Civil Protection andEmergency Response, representing
the Minister for Civil Protection• Eight staff representatives

Frédéric TÉZÉ,
Deputy Director for Working
Conditions, Health and Safety,
Directorate General for Labor,
representing the Minister for Labor

Léna LEBRETON,
CGT

Diane GEHIN,
Deputy Head of the Energy,
Profit-sharing, Industry andInnovation Office at the Budget
Directorate, representing
the Minister for the Budget

Annie CONSTANT,
CFDT

Alain GUILLEMETTE,
Representative in chargeof Nuclear Safety and Radiation
Protection for Defense-related
Activities and Facilities
Bernard DOROSZCZUK,Chairman of the French Nuclear
Safety Authority (ASN)• Five advisory members
Michel FRITSCH,
Air Force Brigadier General,
nominated by the Minister
for Defense

Ginette VASTEL,State Doctor of Pharmacology,
nominated by the Ministerfor the Environment
Marie-France BELLIN,
Chair of IRSN Board of Directors,
Professor of Medicine in Diagnostic
and Interventional Radiology
at Bicêtre and Pierre-Brousse Hospitals,
nominated by the Minister for HealthNicolas BRISSON,CGTLEADING RESPONSIBLY

ANNUAL REPORT 2019

V. MEMBERS OF T H E SE NIOR
MA NAG EMEN T C OM M IT T E E

Laurence FRANÇOIS,CGT

Patrick LEJUSTE,
CGT

Thierry FLEURY,
CFDT
Olivier KAYSER,
CFE-CGC
Sandrine ROCH-LEFÈVRE,CFE-CGC• Ex officio or associate
members

Cédric BOURILLET,
Director General of Risk Prevention
and Government Commissioner
Jean-Pascal CODINE,
Budget Comptroller
Jean-Christophe NIEL,
Director General
Louis-Michel GUILLAUME,
Deputy Director General in chargeof Defense-related Missions
Isabelle FLORY,
Accounting Officer
Philippe BOURACHOT,
Secretary, Social andEconomic Committee

Laurent MOCHÉ,CEO of Edenkia, nominatedby the Minister for Energy
Fanny FARGET,
Director of Scientific Research at the
French National Center for Scientific
Research (CNRS), nominatedby the Minister for Research

55Responsibilities

The steering committee examines
the activity program prepared by the
Nuclear Defense Expertise Division(DEND) before it is submitted
to the IRSN Board of Directors.
It is consulted when the Boardof Directors is called upon to makedecisions relating specifically to theorganization or running of this division
and advises the Board of Directors on
matters related to division activities.
Alain GUILLEMETTE,CODEND Chairman, Representativein charge of Nuclear Safety andRadiation Protection for Defenserelated Activities and Facilities
Marc VÉRAN,
Rear Admiral, representing theArmed Forces Chief of Staff
Bruno DUVERT,General, Nuclear Weapons Inspector
Frank MOLLARD,
Colonel, Chief of Staff of theSecretary General for Administration,
representing the Secretary
General for Administrationof the Ministry of Defense
Adrien BICHET,
representing the budget director
Jacques RAHARINAIVO,
representing the Directorof Strategic Affairs, Security
and Disarmament at the Ministryof Foreign and European Affairs
Christian DUFOUR,
Head of the Economic and Nuclear
Infrastructure Security Department,
representing the Senior Defense
and Security Official of the Ministryof the Economy and FinanceMario PAIN,
Deputy Senior Defense Official,
Head of the Department of Defense,
Security and Economic Intelligence,
representing the Senior Defense
and Security Official at the Ministryof Ecological and Inclusive Transition

56

Serge POULARD,
advisory member, appointed
by the Minister for Industry

SCIENTIFIC COUNCILAS OF DECEMBER 1, 2019
Responsibilities

The Scientific Council examinesand gives its opinion on IRSN activity
programs and ensures that its
research programs are scientifically
relevant and of the highest quality.
It examines program resultsin order to prepare recommendations
on Institute strategy.
It may be consulted by the Board’s
chairperson or by the supervisory
ministers on any subject that comesunder the Institute’s authority.
Pierre TOULHOAT,
Deputy CEO and Scientific Director of
the French Geological Survey (BRGM)
and Chair of IRSN Scientific Council
Jean-Christophe AMABILE,
Chief Medical Officer, associate
professor at Val-de-Grâce, Deputy
Head of the Defense HealthExpertise and Strategy Divisionof the Central Directorate
for Defense Medical Services
Robert BAROUKI,
Physician, Biochemist andToxicologist, Professorof Biochemistry at Université
Paris-Descartes, Director of Inserm
Unit 1124, Head of Biochemistry,
Metabolomics and Proteomics at the
Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital
Hugues DELORME,
Professor specialized
in neutron physics at the Schoolof Military Applicationsof Atomic Energy (EAMEA)Frank HARDEMAN,
Director General of theBelgian Federal Nuclear
Control Agency (FANC)
Guy FRIJA,
Physician, Emeritus Professorof Radiology at Université Paris
Descartes, Vice-Chair of the
Imaging Committee of Medicen
Denis VEYNANTE,
Director of Research at the
French National Center for
Scientific Research (CNRS)
Éric ANDRIEU,
Professor at the Toulouse National
Polytechnic Institute (INP)

Bernard BONIN,
Deputy Scientific Directorof the Nuclear Energy Directorateof the French Alternative Energies
and Atomic Energy
Commission (CEA)Louis LAURENT,
Director of Studies and Researchat INRSETHICS COMMISSION
AS OF FEBRUARY 1, 2020
Responsibilities

Mentioned in the decree organizing
the IRSN, the Ethics Commission
reports to the Board of Directors
and is responsible for advising
it on preparing ethical chartersthat are applicable to the Institute’s
activities and for monitoring theirapplication, including conditions
at the Institute for distinguishing
between assessment missions
performed on behalf of government
departments and those performed
for public or private operators.
It also serves as a mediator whenproblems of an ethical nature arise.
Françoise ROURE,
Inspector General and Chairof the Security, Safety and Risk Sectionof the General Council on Economy,
Industry, Energy and Technology
Lionel BOURDON,
Senior Chief Medical Officer andAssociate Professor at Val-de-Grâce.
Retired. Most recent position: ScientificDirector of the French Armed Forces
Biomedical Research Institute (IRBA)
Marc CLÉMENT,
President of Chamberat the Administrative Court in Lyon,
member of the Environmental
Authority of the General Council
for the Environment and Sustainable
Development. Member of the
Implementation Committee of the
Aarhus Convention (United Nations)Alexandra LANGLAIS,CNRS Research Officer
in environmental law, CNRS bronze
medalist. Head of the Environment
Section of the Western Instituteof Law and Europe (IODE).
Author of works of research andinvestigation on laws concerning
waste, soil, water law, etc.

Mauricette STEINFELDER,
Inspector General, member of theGeneral Council for the Environment
and Sustainable Development
and the Environmental Authority,
retired. Member of the ScientificCouncil of the Environmental Dataand Statistical Studies Department
Éric VINDIMIAN,
Engineer General in rural engineering,water and forests, specialist
in the impact of toxic substanceson the environment and healthand assessment of public
environmental policies, memberof the Environmental Authority
and Coordinator of the Research
and Technology Commission of theGeneral Council for the Environment
and Sustainable Development

NUCLEAR SAFETY
AND RADIATION PROTECTIONRESEARCH POLICY COMMITTEE(COR) AS OF FEBRUARY 1, 2020
Responsibilities

An advisory body to IRSN Boardof Directors, the Research Policy
Committee provides opinions
on research objectives and priorities
in nuclear safety and radiation
protection. It adopts a global approachthat takes into consideration
the requirements of society and the
public authorities, complementing
the activity of IRSN’s ScientificCouncil, which focuses on the quality
and relevance of the Institute’s
research programs and outcomesfrom a scientific perspective.

• Public authorities

Supervisory ministry
representatives:
Bruno GILLET,
Task Officer, Directorate Generalfor Research and Innovation,
representing the Ministryof Research Representativeof the Directorate Generalfor Health, representing the Ministryof Health, nomination pending
Sylvain ROTILLON,
Head of the Environmental Sciences
and Society Governance Mission,
Research Department, Directorate
for Research and Innovation,
representing the Ministry
for Ecological and Inclusive Transition

François-Xavier GOMBEAUD,
Nuclear Safety Inspector for the DGA,
the French defense procurement
agency, representing the
Ministry of Defense• Elected representatives

Fabrice LEGENDRE,
Task Officer at the Policy andSupervisory Office, Directorate
General for Energy and Climate,
representing the Ministry for
Ecological and Inclusive Transition

Local information commissions(CLI) representative:
Nomination pending

Representativeof the Labor Directorate:
Hervé Visseaux,Head of the Physical Risk Prevention
Unit, Directorate General for Labor
Representative of the French
Nuclear Safety Authority:
Bastien Poubeau,
Chief of Staff to the Director
General of ASN• Companies andprofessional associationsNoël CAMARCAT,
Nuclear Research andDevelopment Officer, Generationand Engineering Branch, EDF
Bernard LE GUEN,
Chair of the French Society
for Radiation Protection (SFRP)
Bertrand MOREL,
Research and Development
Director, representing Orano
Jean-Marc SIMON,
Associate Professor, practitioner
in the Radiation Oncology Department
at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital
Soraya THABET,
Director of Strategy for Risk
Control and Safety, Andra• Employees
in the nuclear sector

Representativesof national labor unions:Jean-Paul CRESSY,FCE-CFDT
Martine DOZOL,FO
Patrick BIANCHI,
CFTC
Jacques DELAY,
CFE-CGC
Christian HOLBÉ,CGTOPECST representatives:
Philippe BOLO,
Deputy of Maine-et-Loire+ one nomination pending

LEADING RESPONSIBLY

ANNUAL REPORT 2019STEERING COMMITTEEFOR THE NUCLEAR DEFENSE
EXPERTISE DIVISION (CODEND)
AS OF FEBRUARY 1, 2020

Representatives of municipalities
hosting a nuclear facility,
proposed by the Associationof French Mayors:
Bertrand RINGOT,
Mayor of Gravelines• Associations

David BOILLEY,
President of the Association
for the inspection of radioactivity
in western France (Acro).
Jean-Paul LACOTE,
representing France Nature
Environnement
Simon SCHRAUB,
Administrator of the Ligue
nationale contre le cancer
Lionel LARQUE,
Head of the Alliance for
Science and Society (Alliss)• Advisory members

Jean-Claude DELALONDE,
Chair of the French Associationof Local Information Committees
and Commissions (Anccli)
Christine NOIVILLE,
Chair of the High Committee
for Transparency and Information
on Nuclear Safety (HCTISN)Marie-France BELLIN,
Chair of IRSN Board of Directors,
Professor of Medicine and Medical
Practitioner in Diagnostic
and Interventional Radiology
at Bicêtre-Pierre-Brousse Hospitals• Research organizations
Philippe STOHR,
Director of Nuclear Energy,
representing CEA

Cyrille THIEFFRY,
Task Officer for Radiation
Protection and Nuclear Affairs,
IN2P3, representing CNRS

57

Étienne AUGE,
Professor of Physics,
Vice-President of Paris-Sud,representing the French Conferenceof University Presidents (CPU)

Human Resources

1,771

Vincent LAFLECHE,
Director of ParisTech,
representing ParisTech• Foreign members

Christophe BADIE,
Environmental Assessments
Department,
Public Health England,
United Kingdom
Ted LAZO,
Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), OECD

• Ex officio members
Patrick LANDAIS,High Commissioner
for Atomic Energy

Cédric BOURILLET,
Government Commissioner,
represented byBenoît BETTINELLI,Head of the Nuclear Safety
and Radiation Protection
Mission, Ministry for Ecologicaland Inclusive Transition

KEY FIGURESANNUAL REPORT 2019

M AI N K E Y F I G UR ES

Charles PERSOZ,
Deputy Director of ITMO Public
Health, representing INSERM

62

assigned to otherorganizations

EMPLOYEES

83

1,623

148

ON INDEFINITE-TERM
CONTRACTON FIXED-TERM
CONTRACTAVERAGE AGE
44.37
years
old

45.35
years
old

PROPORTION
OF WOMENTO MEN

Pierre TOULHOAT,
Deputy CEO and Scientific Directorof the French Geological
Survey (BRGM)

Women

Men

doctoral students(full-time equivalent)8

post-doctoral students(full-time equivalent)

53

PhDs or persons qualified
to direct research

812

959

45.85 %

54.15 %

women

88

Jean-Christophe NIEL,
Director General of IRSN

23

on temporary assignment

new hires on
indefinite-term
contractsmen

43,543hours of training provided
to maintain skills

Intellectual property

33

active patents in France(including 4 co-owned)

29

software programs and databases
registered with APP, the Agency
for the Protection of Programs

61

active patents abroad(including 7 co-owned)

58

59

Technical support for public authorities

76

57

technical opinions submitted
to the Nuclear Safety
Authority for Defense(including 55 direct opinions
and 2 Security Committee
reports)

technical opinions submitted
to the Euratom TechnicalCommittee and the Senior
Defense and Security Officialof the Ministry of Economy
and Finance responsible
for nonproliferation

Institute activities

468

A

111

technical opinions submitted
to the Senior Defense
and Security Officialof the Ministry for Ecologicaland Inclusive Transition

technical opinions
and reports submitted
to the French Nuclear
Safety Authority

B

Bel V Subsidiary of the BelgianFederal Agency for Nuclear Control.
BRGM French Geological Survey.

BudgetInternational

263

CmillionBudget (expenditure)47

241
bilateral cooperationagreements in force withresearch and assessment
organizations

international projects
in progress under theaegis of OECD-NEA, theEuropean Commission
and the French National
Research Agency (ANR)49

8countries involvedin these agreements

projects for which
IRSN is coordinator39.1 %of budget allocatedto research (excluding
Feurs project)52.2 %of budget allocatedto technical support
and public service missions(excluding Feurs project)

Research

21

421

theses defended

presentations
in conferences221
publications listed
in Journal Citation Reports

60

NEA Nuclear Energy Agencyof the Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD).
IAEA International Atomic
Energy Agency.
ANCCLI French National
Association of Local Information
Commissions and Committees.
ANDRA French National Radioactive
Waste Management Agency.
ANR French National Research Agency.
ASN French Nuclear Safety Authority.
ASND French Nuclear Safety
Authority for Defense-Related
Facilities and Activities.

D

Service contracts

33.4

in turnover

CABRI CEA test reactor used by IRSN inexperiments to study nuclear fuel safety.
CEPN Nuclear Protection
Assessment Center.
CWC Chemical Weapons Convention.
CIGEO Project for a repository in Meuse
and Haute-Marne for the reversible
geological disposal of radioactive waste.
ICRP International Commission
on Radiological Protection.
CLI Local Information Commission.
CLIS Local Information and OversightCommittee, now known as CSS,
Site Oversight Committee.
CNDP French National Public
Debate Commission.
CODIRPA French Post-accidentManagement Steering Committee.
COR Nuclear Safety and Radiation
Protection Research Policy Committee.
CPDP Special Committee
for Public Debates.
CRITICALITY (RISKS) Risks
associated with uncontrolled fission
phenomena in fissile materials.
CTE Euratom Technical Committee.

millionDoE US Department of Energy.
DOSIMETRY Assessment
or measurement of the doseof radiation (radioactivity) absorbed
by a substance or an individual.
DSND Representative in chargeof nuclear safety and radiation
protection for defense-related
activities and facilities.

E

P

G

GPEC Strategic workforce planning.

of investment for the future/
Research into nuclear safety
and radiation protection

H

R

ENSTTI European Nuclear Safety
Training and Tutoring Institute.
EPIC French industrial andcommercial public undertaking
EPR Evolutionary Power Reactor(European pressurized water reactor).
ETSON European Technical
Safety Organisations Network.
EURATOM European Atomic
Energy Community.

HCÉRES High Council for Evaluationof Research and Higher Education.
HCTISN High Committee
for Transparency and Information
on Nuclear Safety.
HFDS Senior Defense
and Security Official.

I

INB Regulated nuclear facility.
INSC Instrument for Nuclear Safety
Cooperation – cooperation contract
financed by the European Commission.

M

MTES Ministry for Ecologicaland Inclusive Transition.
MIRCOM Ion microbeam usedin the radiobiology of intra- andinter-cellular communications.
MOX Mixture of plutonium oxide
and uranium oxide – nuclear fuel.
MWe Megawatt electric, unitof electric power produced.

N

NRA Nuclear Regulation
Authority (Japan).

GLOSSARY

ANNUAL
ANNUAL REPORTREPORT 20192019

G LO S SAI R E

PARISII Experimental platform
for research into the intakeof radioactive substances throughingestion or inhalation.
PNGMDR French National
Radioactive Materials and Waste
Management Program.
PRISM International programof experiments to research the
propagation of smoke and heatfrom a fire in a basic nuclear facility.
PIA/RSNR French program

RADIONUCLIDE Radioactive
isotope of an element.

S

SFRP French Society
for Radiation Protection.
SISERI Information system
for monitoring exposure
to ionizing radiation.
STEM Source Term Evaluationand Mitigation - Program to learn
more about the behavior of radioactive
materials that could be released tothe environment in the event of a fuelmelt accident in a nuclear facility.

T

TSO Technical Safety OrganizationU

UGAP French Union of Public
Procurement Groupings, a public
procurement organization.
UNSCEAR United Nations
Scientific Committee on the
Effects of Atomic Radiation.
U.S. NRC United States Nuclear
Regulatory Commission.

O

OECD Organisation for Economic
Cooperation and Development.
OPCW Organisation for theProhibition of Chemical Weapons.
ODOBA Observatory for the
durability of reinforced concrete
structures. The program studies
concrete pathologies and theirconsequences for nuclear structures.

61

APPROVED BY THE IRSN BOARD OF DIRECTORS ON MARCH 5, 2020.
COVER ILLUSTRATION: Chemical reactor in which gaseous iodine is produced by interaction of dimethyl sulfate with sodium iodide solution (PERSÉE facility) ©Francesco
Acerbis/IRSN | IRSN’s PERSÉE facility is a test bench for the study of gaseous effluent treatment equipment in nuclear facilities as well as laboratories, plants and hospitals
that are sources of radioactive iodine.
PHOTO CREDITS: ©Francesco Acerbis, ©Philippe Castano, ©Martial Chevreuil, ©Antoine Devouard, ©Philippe Dureuil, ©Marine Nationale, ©MEDDE – Arnaud
Bouisson, ©Noak/Le Bar Floréal, ©Philippe Puiseux/Emapress, ©r.baltz@me.com, ©L. Zylberman/Graphix Images | ENGLISH LANGUAGE ANNUAL REPORT: 2679-6791
DESIGNED BY

FIND

the 2019 Annual Report online at:www.irsn.fr

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