Enhancing nuclear safety

ANNUALREPORT20171

2

Annual Report 2017

ENHANCING NUCLEAR
SAFETY IN FRANCEAND INTERNATIONALLY
Further to Act No. 2015-992 of August 17, 2015 on energy transition
for green growth, the legislative part of the French Environment
Code defines the missions of IRSN, the National Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety, the public expert in nuclear
and radiological risks, together with those of ASN, the French
Nuclear Safety Authority, and of the local information commissions(CLI). Decree No. 2016-283 of March 10, 2016 on IRSN, which implements the Act, places the organization under the joint supervisionof the Ministers for Ecology, Research, Energy, Health and Defense.

In addition, IRSN contributes to government policy on health,
nuclear safety, the environment, and emergency response.
Within this context, it interacts with all the organizations
concerned including public authorities, in particular the nuclear
safety and security authorities, research organizations, andstakeholder associations.
IRSN also contributes to training and providing public information about nuclear and radiological risks.

IRSN is the nation's public service expert in nuclear and radiological risks, and its activities cover all the related scientific andtechnical issues in France and in the international arena. Its work
therefore concerns a wide range of fields, including environmental
monitoring, radiological emergency response, radiation protection
and human health in normal and accident situations, prevention ofmajor accidents, and safety and security of nuclear reactors, plants,
laboratories, transportation, and waste.
It also carries out assessments in the nuclear defense field.

HUMAN RESOURCES

1,8001
employees, including many
specialists, such as engineers,
doctors, agronomists,
veterinarians, technicians,
experts and researchers,with 47 doctors or persons
qualified to direct research.
IRSN is also the place of work of:
812 doctorate students
and 62 post-doctorate students.

BUDGET€280M• 39.8% of budget devoted
to research excluding property
projects and Feurs;• 50.7% of budget allocatedto technical support and public
service missions excluding
property projects and Feurs.

1This workforce consists of 1,655 persons on permanent contracts and 145 on fixed-term contracts(including 60 persons assigned to other organizations, but excluding 21 temporary assignments).
2
Expressed in full-time equivalent terms.

320

CONTRIBUTING TO SAFETY
AND NON-PROLIFERATION

20 — Anomalies sur les générateurs de vapeur :un dialogue technique avec la société civile

27 — Safety assessments of Defense-related
activities and facilities
24 — Suivi du chantier EPR

12 — Organization Chart
13 — S enior Management Committee
Executive Committee

STRATEGIC CHALLENGES

36 — Sensibilisation des industriels
à la non-prolifération
37 — Lorem ipsum dolor
39 — Lorem ipsum dolor

31

14

ENHANCING THE SAFETY
OF FUTURE NUCLEAR FACILITIESGOVERNANCE

SNAPSHOTS
AND KEY FIGURES 2017

424

6 — L aurent Moché, Acting Chairpersonof the Board of Directors
8 — J ean-Christophe Niel,
Director General
11 — G eorges-Henri Mouton,
Deputy Director Generalin charge of Defense-related
missions

ASSESSING NUCLEAR
FACILITIES IN OPERATION

28

FOREWORD

IDENTIFYING AND ASSESSING
INCIDENTS

33

12

06

CONTENTSDEVELOPING RESEARCH
AND SHARING KNOWLEDGE

27 — Retour d’expérience
et conformité des installations

29 — DENOPI : des avancées notables

50

47 — Participation aux travaux du Codirpa
48 — Premier colloque AGORAS
49 — Exercices d’intercomparaison

52

PREPARING FOR EMERGENCIESAND POST-ACCIDENT MANAGEMENT

43 — R adon : premier bilan
du programme pilote Haute-Vienne
46 — Prestations de dosimétrie

MODERNIZING AND
IMPROVING EFFICIENCYUn

58

PLAYING AN ACTIVE ROLE
IN PUBLIC HEALTH

40 — De nouvelles connaissances sur le tritium
41 — CERTYF et KRI-TERRESINFORMING SOCIETY
OF THE RISKSGOVERNING BODIES61

40

ACTING TO PROTECTTHE ENVIRONMENT43

ENHANCING INTERNATIONAL
COOPERATION

47

37

Annual Report 2017

GLOSSARY

50 — Site la radioprotection en question— 61

LEGAL INFORMATION— 62

5

FOREWORD
Laurent Moché, Acting Chairperson of the IRSN Board of Directors
Before presenting some of the highlightsof 2017, I would like to pay tribute to thework accomplished by my predecessor
during her four years at the head of theBoard of Directors, addressing many
major issues to help shape the future of
the Institute. I have witnessed her achievements since 2016, when I first became amember of the Board of Directors, with theinauguration of the Finance Committee.
It was then that I discovered the incredible
diversity of the tasks fulfilled by IRSN,
and the complexity of the issues and risks
involved in nuclear safety and radiation
protection.

Since December 2017, when Dominique
Le Guludec left the Institute to chair theboard of the French National Authority for Health, I have been the Acting
Chairperson of the IRSN Board of Directors, a position I have embraced wholeheartedly, fully aware of the responsibilities that come with it.

“I discovered theincredible diversityof the tasks fulfilledby IRSN, and thecomplexity of the issues
and risks involved innuclear safety andradiation protection.”

6

The French Act on Energy Transition forGreen Growth of August 17, 2015, and thedecree of March 10, 2016, have strengthened recognition of IRSN's role in thegovernance of nuclear and radiologicalrisk. The year 2017 saw full deploymentof this role, with regular publicationof IRSN's expert opinion reports, andthe official introduction of the Research
Policy Committee, where stakeholders canvoice their expectations of the Institute's
research.
Behind the lines, I was impressed by thecreation of the Health and Environment
Unit, and the appointment of a deputy
director for emergency response management.
In 2017, the same quest for efficiency andagility inspired our Director General toinitiate in-house reflection on support activities and functional services provided by
IRSN.
To propel the Institute forward, he also
launched the IRSN 2030 initiative, built
around four lines of direction: Excellence,
Foresight, Independence, and Sharing.

These incentives have now infused strong
ambition into action taken by IRSN.
In 2017, noteworthy IRSN contributions
touched on the safety options reportfor the CIGEO project and the anomaly
detected on the EPR reactor vessel: twoevents where IRSN demonstrated its
skills in assessment and its dedication to
sharing, particularly through discussions
with representatives of civil society.

“Now more thanever before, researchguarantees IRSN's
excellence and its ability
to foresee the issues
that will appear as
technological choices
are made.”
IRSN's responsiveness was also recognized in action taken following the detection of ruthenium in Europe, a significant
event despite having no impact inside
French borders.

Annual Report 2017

One last example is the considerable investment spending thatwas granted to develop the following research platforms: PARISII,on the effects of ingesting and inhaling radioactive substances,
AMANDE/MIRCOM, on the effects of ionizing radiation on cells,and MICADO LAB, on the effects of chronic exposure to radiation
on ecosystems.
In parallel, IRSN pursued a proactive policy of sharing information with people from all walks of life: citizens living close
to nuclear power plants, doctors, members of non-profit organizations, high school students, etc., each with a very different
perception of nuclear and radiological risks. IRSN reaches out toeach and every one, taking an educational approach to sharing
our knowledge.
Scientific excellence, analytical and methodical reasoning backed
by the most advanced knowledge in risks, experience feedback,multidisciplinary skills, independence of judgment, and openness
are all essential to providing benchmark-setting expert assessments that are operational and commensurate with the issues atstake. In 2018, our assessment expertise will be applied to numerous complex subjects. Noteworthy projects in the field of nuclear
safety include the startup of the EPR in France, shutdown of PWRs
or extension of their operational lifetime, ageing of research
reactors and fuel cycle facilities, new reactor designs, progresson the CIGEO project and, in the medical sector, increasing useof radiation for diagnosis and treatment.

In conjunction with the Research Policy Committee, an advisory
body to the IRSN Board of Directors, the research objectives andpriorities in the fields of nuclear safety and radiation protection
will be addressed using an overall approach that takes into consideration the requirements of society and the public authorities.
This approach complements the activity of the Scientific Committee, which focuses on the quality and relevance of theInstitute's research programs and outcomes from a scientific perspective. It also finally complements that of the Ethics Commission,
which is responsible for advising the board on preparing ethicalcharters that will be reinstated in summer 2018.

“To meet these challenges, the Boardof Directors must keep a watchful eyeon the resources required to operate
the Institute.”
I will pay careful attention to promoting IRSN's research in waysthat demonstrate the Institute's position as a driving force in thegovernance of risk. This year's Annual Report has evolved toreflect our support of openness and social responsibility.

In this context, now more than ever before, research guarantees
IRSN's excellence and its ability to foresee the issues that willappear as technological choices are made. It is therefore essential
to have sufficient resources to maintain a quality of research thatmeasures up to our ambitions.
The importance of the Institute's action internationally has grownwith each passing year: in expert assessments, where IRSN
contributes to the development of common safety requirements;
in research, where its participation in collaborative programs
promotes shared platforms and resources; and in non-proliferation action, where the Institute operates in collaboration with
the OPCW.
To meet these challenges, the Board of Directors must keep awatchful eye on the resources required to operate the Institute.
In the subjects approached through work with the Research Policy
Committee, the Scientific Committee, the Finance Committee andthe Ethics Commission, IRSN finds answers that help shed lighton major issues it encounters in its activities.

7Foreword

Jean-Christophe Niel, Director GeneralShe encouraged the Institute to open the
doors of its research platforms to outside
exchanges in order to consolidate its role
as a driving force in nuclear safety andradiation protection in France and aroundthe world. I would also like to welcome thearrival of Laurent Moché as Acting Chairperson of the Board of Directors, who ispursuing the same proactive approach.
Among the changes initiated at IRSN in
2017, it is important to highlight action
taken in the organization and preparationof emergency response management for
nuclear and radiological emergencies.
Emergency response management is present in all the activities conducted by theInstitute, whether it be nuclear safety andsecurity or protecting people and the environment from the effects of ionizing radiation. It calls on all our areas of expertisein research, assessment and monitoring.
The year 2017 saw a number of changes
in France following the presidential andlegislative elections in May, with a new
momentum affecting the political landscape. Within the scope of its responsibility, IRSN has a key role to play inthese changes, as demonstrated by theMulti-Year Energy Program and its impact
on the nuclear power sector, as well asFrance's new healthcare strategy.
In this context, faced with unprecedented
challenges, particularly in the field of
nuclear safety, and stronger demands fortransparency and openness, I initiateddiscussions to stimulate foresight and set
IRSN's targets for the 2030 horizon.
Within the same focus, and in light ofthese discussions, preparations are under
way for the next Performance Target
Agreement (2019-2023), an opportunity
to consult with our supervisory ministries
and institutional counterparts, particularly
the nuclear safety and security authorities,
regarding the Institute's strategy and key
objectives.
Before looking back over some of the
key events of 2017, I would first like to
pay tribute to the work of Dominique
Le Guludec, Chairperson of IRSN's Boardof Directors from 2013 until recently,
as she has now moved on to chair theboard of the French National Authorityfor Health (HAS).

8“In some respects,
preventing or managing
a radiological or nuclear
emergency may bethought of as
the ultimate purposeof IRSN.”This is also the only area in which IRSN's
technical support reaches all public authorities, such as civil and defense safety
authorities, the Senior Defense and Security Official (HFDS) of the Ministry of Ecology, the General Secretariat for Defense
and National Security (SGDSN), the ministries of the Interior, Armed Forces, Health,
Ecology, Labor, Agriculture, Foreign
Affairs, and local representatives of Stateauthorities.
In some respects, preventing or managing
a radiological or nuclear emergency may
be thought of as the ultimate purpose of
IRSN. I therefore set out to bring changes
to IRSN's governance in this area, particularly by creating the post of Deputy
Director for Emergency Response Management, reporting to the Director General.
France is currently one of the few countries that has a national emergency response plan for major nuclear or radiological accidents, developed under theauthority of the SGDSN in the wake of the
Fukushima accident.

The plan clearly sets out the roles andduties of all the different entities involvedin emergency response, including thoseof IRSN, which plays a leading role in theevent of accident situations. The following
examples illustrate IRSN’s contribution to
emergency response management.
In the case of a malicious attack against
a nuclear facility, emergency management may come up against constraints;
for instance, the operator may be unable
to reach different parts of the site in question. This effect on the operator’s ability
to take action, along with security aspects
in general needs to be more specificallyaddressed in the assessment and forecasting approach implemented by IRSN whenproviding support to public authorities.
Managing situations in which security isa concern is also more complex, giventhat more actors are involved. The procedures used by the operators, authorities
and IRSN to interact and communicate
in such situations need to be improved,in close cooperation with safety and security authorities.
In another example involving environment
monitoring, reports of ruthenium detectedin the air by European networks in late
September illustrate this point perfectly.
Although no event that might have caused
the release of this element had been
declared, the news was widely reported
in the media in France and around theworld. This example demonstrates how
important it is for IRSN to have access to
all the means required to detect release ofradioactive materials, issue alerts, carryout assessments and inform public authorities so that they can decide, if necessary,
to implement protective measures.
Last, as demonstrated in feedback fromthe Fukushima accident, after the emergency phase, managing the post-accident
phase has proven to be a major issue thatmust be addressed through collaborative efforts. At the beginning of 2018, as
requested by the ASN, IRSN proposedchanges to the 2012 version of postaccident doctrine before the CODIRPA, thesteering committee for the managementof the post-accident phase of a nuclear orradiological emergency. These changes
aim to coordinate emergency and postaccident phases more efficiently, to reducethe complexity induced by overlapping
zoning systems (exclusion zone, population protection zone, zone under control
of foodstuffs), and to optimize advancesin technology applicable to modeling andrapid measurement of contamination.

Annual Report 2017

To develop its expertise in accident and post-accident situations,as in other areas, IRSN carries out research requiring resourcesthat I am determined to maintain, particularly in this period ofbudgetary uncertainty. My objective is also to work with ourpartners, especially the Ministry for Research and the ANR,
to help consolidate the position France holds in European research
dedicated to nuclear safety and radiation protection, by participating in strategic events and submitting attractive responses
to requests for proposals.
By focusing on partnerships in France and abroad, we pursue
the dynamic process initiated with our counterparts: the ETSON
network, research institutes such as CEA, CNRS, university
laboratories, and our partners in medical research, including
Inserm and the Institut Gustave-Roussy, as well as with industry,in accordance with our code of ethics. IRSN owns several major
research facilities, which need to be used more effectively to develop partnerships. Giving the national and international community
wider access to such infrastructure also creates opportunities toshare maintenance and operating costs.
In November, IRSN was audited by the HCERES (the French HighCouncil for the Evaluation of Research and Higher Education),an essential step for research conducted at IRSN in support of its
assessment activities. The Scientific Council played an importantpart in the process, alongside the Institute. During the audit,
IRSN's research strategy was examined by accomplished experts,
and we shall begin to integrate their feedback in 2018.
From a more concrete perspective, I would like to mention a few
advances in research achieved in 2017.
ROSIRIS, a program designed to learn more about the mechanisms behind the side effects of radiation therapy on healthy
tissue, was assessed by a scientific commission according to
HCERES procedure. The commission highlighted the scientificadvances achieved by this research in risk assessment and theresulting potential for improving assessment of the probabilityof undesirable outcomes in healthy tissue.
Three major facilities were started up or restarted:
MICADO LAB, AMANDE/MIRCOM and PARISII. In 2018, we will
begin to collect the initial findings of work conducted in thesefacilities to study the signature of chronic exposure due to theingestion of uranium or the effect of chronic external exposureon the cardiovascular system.
At the beginning of 2017, a workshop was held to conclude a European program launched in 2013, coordinated by IRSN, focused on
filtering radioactive release in the event of a core melt accident.
This work led to improvements in computational models of serious
accidents, and also reviewed various existing or innovative iodine
filtering systems.
Significant progress was made in 2017 and will be pursued in2018 on the PERFROI and DENOPI research programs, launchedby IRSN in the wake of the Fukushima-Daiichi accident. These
research programs study cooling systems in the reactor core andin irradiated fuel storage pools, and are funded by the ANR underthe Investment in the Future Program.
Work conducted to renovate the CABRI reactor was completed
in 2018, paving the way for the first trial conducted as part of the
CABRI International Program.

It should be emphasized that all this research has been conducted in an international context where experimental facilities arebeing shut down and dismantled, in spite of the significant needfor research in these fields. I watch these changes closely and,as chairman of the OECD's Committee on the Safety of Nuclear
Installations, I have initiated an inventory of these critical facilities
in order to assess the advantages of keeping them in operation,and the risks entailed, for research, in shutting them down definitively.

“IRSN carries out research requiring
resources that I am determined
to maintain, particularly in this periodof budgetary uncertainty.”
As a stakeholder in the assessment of health risks, alongside the Directorate General for Risk Prevention (DGPR), theDirectorate General for Health (DGS), the Directorate General for
Labor (DGT), and the ASN, IRSN actively pursues a leading rolein the field of radiation protection.
In 2017, in liaison with the International Commission on Radiological Protection and European research platforms, IRSN organizeda week-long international science event on radiation protection,
attended by 500 participants, researchers, experts, decisionmakers, and risk managers, who addressed all the issues involved
in radiation protection today.
IRSN also published a report on 50 years of epidemiological monitoring of 90,000 workers in the French nuclear industry. This
study contributes to IRSN's expertise in radiation protection,
occupational health and safety, and public health. The results ofthe study are consistent with the international system for worker
protection currently in force.
IRSN has been conducting research on radon for many years.
The program entitled “Radon: let's take up the challenge, let’s
have a change of air”, led by IRSN, came to an end after two
years of action taken in fifteen municipalities in Haute-Vienne.
This ground-breaking program, implemented in cooperation
with local actors, raised awareness of the radon risk among local
residents and put them at the center of radon risk management.
Transposition of the directive on basic safety standards, the
new regulatory framework for radiation protection in Europe,
is a subject that has and will continue to anchor IRSN's work for
the DGPR, DGS, DGT and ASN, particularly throughout 2018.
With regard to the environment, in 2017 the Institute publisheda report entitled Actualisation des connaissances acquises sur letritium dans l’environnement (Current Knowledge on the Behavior of Tritium in the Environment). This report publishes levelsof tritium measured in the environment and describes tritiumtransfer through the food chain, as well as the principles of tritium
metrology.
In metrology, new methods developed to accelerate monitoringof certain alpha- and beta-emitting radionuclides have now
reached maturity. Results can now be obtained within only a few
hours, as opposed to a few weeks using previous methods. In an
emergency situation, this is a major advantage for IRSN, allowing
us to provide public authorities with the information they need tomake decisions within an appropriate time scale.

9Foreword

As part of the support we provide to the HFDS, ASND and ASN,
IRSN assesses civil and defense-related nuclear facilities, within
the allocated budget. For this purpose, we have joined efforts withstate authorities and industry to reinforce the assessment processby encouraging open and rigorous technical debate, based on
science and technology, commensurate with the risks involved.
As in previous years, 2017 was dedicated to major long-term
issues and handling unexpected situations.
Some of the long-term issues reviewed by IRSN included the
EPR safety analysis, with a particular focus on defects foundon the vessel closure head domes; conditions for extending theservice life of reactors beyond the fourth ten-year safety review;
the CIGEO Safety Options Report; defense-related facilities;
naval propulsion reactors; and facilities belonging to the Military
Applications Division of CEA.
Regarding security at nuclear facilities and in civil transportation,
IRSN issued opinions on important issues for the Senior Defense
and Security Official (HFDS), leading to more frequent emergency
exercises.
In the area of non-proliferation, alongside recurring actions,
IRSN consolidated its role in enforcing the Organization for theProhibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Convention within thechemical industry at a particularly successful conference openedby the Director General of the OPCW. At the beginning of 2018,
IRSN presented its assessment of the EPR-NM Safety Options
Report to the ASN Advisory Committee for Reactors. In 2018,
IRSN will also finalize its assessment of the Flamanville EPR, aprerequisite to plant commissioning.
Among the unexpected events that occurred in 2017, I would
like to mention the intervention of our emergency response unit,
called in to support the HFDS and ASN in managing intrusion
situations at EDF's Cattenom and Cruas nuclear power plants.
In the area of nuclear safety, IRSN analyzed nonconformities
involving earthquake resistance in several reactor systems andin the dike built to protect the Tricastin plant, which could leadto flooding at the site.

“My plan for IRSN is to address
this need to continuously adapt
to new challenges.”
IRSN also launched new public information and communication
campaigns. In addition to the technical examinations led by IRSN
experts in support of the ASN, the issue involving defects foundin the steel used to build the steam generator bottom heads in
18 reactors in the EDF nuclear power plant fleet and the EPR
reactor vessel closure head domes, as well as technical issues
identified while assessing the CIGEO project, led to in-depth
technical discussions between IRSN and representatives of civilsociety in 2017.
IRSN launched Open Radiation, a pioneering collaborative science
initiative developed in partnership with IFFO-RME, the FabLab
set up at Sorbonne Universities, and Planète Sciences. The initiative allows citizens to download an app to their smartphone andmeasure radioactivity in the environment, and then share this dataon a dedicated website.

10

Looking to the future, the French Parliament, government, andour supervisory ministries allocated a stable budget to us for 2018,
which, in these times of budget restrictions, reflects the importance given to our missions and the trust placed in the Institute.
Given that IRSN is continuously called upon to help resolve issues
where the stakes are high, especially with regard to nuclear safety,
the slight yet consistent annual cuts in our research budget overrecent years prevent us from finding satisfaction with the current
situation.

“The approach to IRSN 2030
is collective; this has always been
one of the Institute’s strong points.”
In a constantly changing world, we must continuously adapt to
new challenges to ensure that our action is lasting and relevant.
My plan for IRSN, in close cooperation with public authorities,
is to address this need to constantly adapt our capabilities sothat we can ensure the highest standards of nuclear safety andsecurity, while protecting human health and the environment, ina society that demands to take part in risk management
This is also the goal of the IRSN 2030 initiative mentioned in myintroduction. Discussions continue with the kick-off of roughly
fifteen workshops organized to get everyone at IRSN involved.
The outcome of these discussions will contribute to the new 20192023 Performance Target Agreement.
This type of collective approach has always been one of IRSN's
strong points. I am confident in our ability to work together tomeet the great challenges that lie ahead and achieve the projects
that will shape the future of IRSN.
I would like to conclude by naming the four lines of direction
identified in the IRSN 2030 initiative.
+ Excellence, which implies that we must constantly strive toachieve the highest standards in the activities we lead to fulfill
our responsibilities.
+ Independence, which requires that we remain impartial in ourscientific and technical judgments and in our ability to investigate, within our fields of expertise and according to our rulesof governance, in areas where the stakes are high.
+ Sharing, which calls on our ability to communicate with all those
who have an interest in risk management, while finding ways
to involve them in our work.
+ Foresight, which relies on an unwavering determination to lookahead and develop the capability required to innovate in order
to meet the expectations of public authorities and civil society.
The challenges are many and reflection has begun, from a number of different perspectives; the aim is to engage IRSN in a new
dynamic, in phase with the digital revolution, placing IRSN firmly
on track for 2030.

Annual Report 2017

Georges-Henri Mouton, Deputy Director Generalin charge of Defense-related missions
In its support of the nuclear defense safety
officer, IRSN’s Nuclear Defense Expertise
Division (DEND) again had a significant
workload in 2017. Given the importanceof remediation and dismantling issues, theDefense Safety Assessment Department(SESD) will have an additional office in2018.

Reflecting a more complex geopolitical context, security and defense issues
remain at the forefront of concerns in acontext marked by the attacks on France
and the defense effort.

“In 2017, IRSN
endeavored to makeprogress in meetingthe high expectationsof the public authorities
in the field of security
and defense.”“In France, it isessential to remain
vigilant, attentive
and to continue thefundamental workof protecting nuclear
facilities and shipmentsin the face of terrorist
threats.”

DEND also actively participated in thediscussion on the consequences of theUnited Kingdom’s exit from EURATOM
for nuclear materials accounting.
In 2017, IRSN endeavored to make progress in meeting the high expectationsof the public authorities in the field of security and defense and to develop its organization and methods to this end. The effort
will continue in 2018.

In the field of the fight against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction,
the director general of the Organisation
for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons(OPCW) inaugurated a symposium, jointly
organized by IRSN and the French Chemical Industries Association (UIC), whose
aim was to bring together and raise awareness among industry leaders likely to beconcerned by OPCW inspections and chemical declarations. The symposium was a
success.

In France, it is essential to remain vigilant,
attentive and to continue the fundamental
work of protecting nuclear facilities andshipments in the face of terrorist threats.
IRSN’s support for the senior defense andsecurity official within the Ministry for
Ecological and Inclusive Transition, who
is responsible for nuclear security, mustbe further improved on points for which it
provides added value (in such areas as thelink between safety and security, pragmatic
analysis of resistance capabilities, cyberdefense, emergency response management, etc.).
The effort to improve the quality of opinions and expertise must be pursued bothin terms of synthesis and the pragmatismof the proposed options.

11GOVERNING BODY
ORGANIZATION CHART AS OF FEBRUARY 1, 2018
Senior Advisors
Michel BOURGUIGNON
Jérôme JOLY

Director General
Jean-Christophe NIEL

Deputy Director General,in charge of Defenserelated missions
Georges-Henri MOUTON

Deputy Director General,in charge of Nuclear Safety
Thierry CHARLES

Deputy Director General,in charge of Administration
Jean-Bernard CHÉRIÉDeputy Director General,in charge of Healthand Environment
Jean-Marc PÉRES

Scientific Director
Giovanni BRUNA
Knowledge Management
Director
Martial JOREL
Executive Director
for Emergency Response
Jean-Luc LACHAUME
Inspector General
and Quality Officer
Sylvie SUPERVIL+ Functional and support divisions

Strategy, Development and Partnerships
Patrice DESCHAMPS (i.t.c.*)International affairs
Cyril PINEL

Communications
Marie-Pierre BIGOT

Financial, Business and Legal Affairs
Didier DEMEILLERS

Security, Assets
and Information Systems
André ROUBAUD

Accounting Office
Pierre PIQUEMAL-LAGORRE

Human resources
Michel ENAULT+ Operational divisions

Defense, Security
and Non-proliferation
Georges-Henri MOUTON

Nuclear safety
Thierry CHARLES

Health and Environment
Jean-Marc PÉRES

Nuclear Defense Expertise
Frédéric MERMAZ

Nuclear Safety Expertise
Frédéric MÉNAGE

HealthJean-Christophe GARIEL

Safety Research
Véronique ROUYER

Environment
François BESNUS

Systems, New Reactors
and Safety Initiatives
Karine HERVIOU

12* in temporary capacity

International Business
Development
Jean-Marie MATTÉISNAPSHOTS AND
KEY FIGURES 2017

NUCLEAR SAFETY
Publications+ “ Current State of Research
on Pressurized Water Reactor
Safety”.
J. Couturier, M. Schwarz,
Science and Technology
Series, May 2017
+ I RSN’s Position on Safety
and Radiation Protection
at Nuclear Power Plants
in France in 2016
(November 2017 Report)+ “ Écoulements turbulents
anisothermes et relâchement
de produits de fission ensituation accidentelle surun réacteur nucléaire”.
[Anisothermal Turbulent
Flows and Fission ProductReleases in an Accident
Situation at a Nuclear
Reactor].
Guillaume Brillant,
HDR Collection, March 2017

+ Steam generator
anomalies
As part of the process
to examine anomalies
detected on some steam
generators from EDF’s
reactor fleet, IRSN performed
an assessment that resulted
in ASN taking a position
on restarting the reactors
in question. Together
with ASN and ANCCLI,
the Institute also organized
a day of discussions withrepresentatives of civil society
on February 24, 2017.
– p. 20+ Tracking progressat the EPR construction
site
In 2017, IRSN contributed
to assessing the serviceabilityof the Flamanville EPR
reactor vessel head andbottom head. In partnershipwith ANCCLI, theFlamanville CLI and ASN,
IRSN organized a meetingin July 2017 to present its
conclusions and exchangewith representatives of civilsociety upstream of the public
consultation on ASN’s draft
position.
– p. 24+ DENOPI: significant
advances
In 2017, the DENOPI
research program on spent
fuel pool uncovery entered
the experimental phase.
The project, funded by theInvestment in the Future
Program (PIA) that was
implemented by the French
National Research Agency(ANR), is based on threelines of research: studying
phenomena at pool scale,at assembly scale, andwith respect to cladding
oxidation in a mixed air-vapor
atmosphere.
– p. 33+ Experience feedback
and facility complianceAs part of its assessment
duties, IRSN analyzes
incidents reported byoperators and managers
to identify any warning signs
as a precautionary measure.
Examining the events thatwere reported in 2017 led
IRSN to question the levelof attention that operators
pay to compliance withthe operational baseline.
– p. 32+ CIGEO: IRSN presents
its conclusions
On May 18-19, 2017,
IRSN presented its
assessment of the Safety
Options Report for Andra’s
CIGEO project to theAdvisory Committee for
Waste and the Advisory
Committee for Laboratories
and Plants.
– p. 26+ Assessing the safetyof defense-related
activities and facilities
2017 was marked by a steadystream of requests anda large volume of reports
produced for the DSND.
As part of this work,
IRSN notably contributed
to assessing the reporton the second stageof Megajoule Laser Facility
operation as well as to theReactor Safety Commission
meeting on authorization
to load the RES test reactor.
– p. 27

+ Strengthening
the ETSON network
strategy
As one of the initiatorsof the ETSON network,
IRSN plays an active rolein its development and action
to enhance nuclear security
and standardize practices
across Europe.
In 2017, ETSON welcomed
its 16th member, the Romaniantechnical safety organization
RATEN ICN.
– p. 37

Articles- Improving the Understandingof Hydriding of Cladding
to Anticipate Rupture.
Aktis - Summer 2017

- Criticité : simuler pourprévenir les accidents[Criticality: Simulating
to Prevent Accidents].

Repères Magazine - April 2017

Viva
Contributions à l’analysede données spatialiséeset applications dans les études
de risque [Contributions
to Analyzing Spatialized Data
and Applications in Risk
Analysis] – Jean Bacou,
dissertation for his researchsupervision accreditation,
defended on October 25, 2017
in Marseille.

SECURITY AND
NON-PROLIFERATION
Publications+ “Element of Security and NonProliferation, J. Jalouneix,
Science and Technology”.
Series, August 2017+C
 ampaign to raiseawareness within
industry of the
non-proliferationof chemical weapons
As part of its role to provide
technical support to publicauthorities and chemical
and textile industry
associations in applying
international treaties on the
non-proliferation of chemical
weapons in France, IRSN hascontributed to a campaign
to raise awareness among
French companies of the
Chemical Weapons Convention(CWC), launched on the 20th
anniversary of the creationof the Organization for
the Prohibition of Chemical
Weapons (OPCW). In October
2017, the Institute jointly
organized a conference on thissame topic with the OPCW,
providing representatives ofthe pharmaceutical, chemical,
cosmetic, agrochemical,
textile and paper industries
with an opportunity to talkwith experts about how
the Chemical Weapons
Convention is implemented
in France and find out more
about the CWC and its
regulations. – p. 28+ Nuclear security
IRSN provides support
and technical assistanceto the departmentsof the Senior Defense
and Security Official (HFDS)
of the Ministry for Ecologicaland Inclusive Transition.
In 2017, as part of EDF’s
application for a license
to hold and use nuclear
materials in EPR Reactor
No. 3 at Flamanvillenuclear power plant, IRSN
contributed to examining
the new detailed technicalreview procedure introducedby the HFDS for theassessment of this application– p. 30

ENVIRONMENTAND HEALTH
Publications+ Bilan 2016 de l’exposition
professionnelle aux
rayonnements ionisantsen France [Occupational
Exposure to Ionizing Radiationin France: 2016]+ CERTYF and KRI-TERRES
Two new projects involving
IRSN have been selectedby ANR as part of its second
call for proposals, using
funding allocated to Andraby the PIA. The projects
aim to study – and hopefully
develop – innovative solutions
for managing radioactive
waste fr om nuclear facility
decommissioning.

Articles+ Radon: first resultsfrom the pilot programin Haute-Vienne

Aktis - January 2017

– p. 41(September 2017 Report)+ Actualisation des connaissances
acquises sur le tritium dansl’environnement [Current
Knowledge on the Behaviorof Tritium in the Environment](October 2017 Report)+ Suivi épidémiologiquedes travailleurs du cycleélectronucléaire en France :bilan des études de l’IRSN[Epidemiological Monitoringof Workers in the French
Nuclear Power Industry:
Results of IRSN ResearchStudies](December 2017 Report)+ New knowledge
on tritium
IRSN has publishedan account of the advancesin research in a report
entitled “Current Knowledge
on the Behavior of Tritiumin the Environment”.
– p. 40IRSN contributes
to radon risk prevention
by supporting both national
public authorities and local
stakeholders.
– p. 43+ Radiation protection:
IRSN brings together
the international
scientific community
in Paris
IRSN organized and held
two major events in Parisfor radiation protection
professionals, experts
and researchers:
the 4th International
Symposium on the System
of Radiological Protection
with the International
Commission on RadiologicalProtection (ICRP), and the
2nd European RadiologicalProtection Research Week,
set up by European researchplatforms.
– p. 44- Modeling Tritium Transfer
in the Environment to Assess
its Impact
Aktis - Fall 2017

- Radioactivité dans l’air,évaluer les risques [Assessing
the Risks of Radioactivity
in the Air]
Repères - July 2017

- Research: Geochemical
Investigations Downstreamof Former Mines- Radioprotection :les solutions s’adaptent
aux nouveaux besoins[Radiation Protection:
Adapting Solutions
to Meet New Needs]

Repères - February 2017

EMERGENCYRESPONSE
AND POST-ACCIDENTMANAGEMENT
Publications+ Évaluation dosimétriquede cinq filières de production
de biens manufacturésen situation postaccidentelle[Dosimetric Evaluation of Five
Manufactured Goods Production Chains in a Post-accident
Situation] (November 2017 Report)+ Participation in
CODIRPA’s work
In 2017, CODIRPA begana major discussion process
lasting several years on
the changes to be madeto post-accident management
policy, as part of the lessons
to be learned from the
Fukushima accident. In thiscontext, in early 2018, IRSN
put forward changes to thepost-accident management
policy published in 2012. – p. 47+ First AGORAS
conference
As part of research undertakenin the wake of the Fukushima
accident, IRSN held the first
conference of the AGORAS
project on improving thegovernance of nuclear safety
organizations and networks
at the Cité Universitaire in
Paris on November 21, 2017.
– p. 48

INFORMINGEFFICIENCY+ “Radiation Protection
In Question” website+ Better-performing
commercial activities

As part of its duty to provide
training, informationand education to the public
on nuclear and radiologicalrisks, IRSN has added
the final touches to an
educational website entirely
dedicated to the fieldof radiation protection. – p. 50

In 2017, IRSN’s commercial
services grew by 8.5% overall,and more specifically within
the dosimetry and international
services business units.

+ Science Fair
With Science Villages,
lab tours, open days
and conferences, the 2017
Science Fair saw almost 3,000
different events taking place
all over France. IRSN was out
and about in Paris,
Aix-en-Provence,
Vinon-sur-Verdon and Poissyon October 6-8, 2017. – p. 50

Media Events- A joint ASN and IRSN
press conference was heldon June 28, 2017, on the EPR
reactor vessel and vessel headat Flamanville nuclear power
plant.
- IRSN and the Associationof Environmental Journalists
organized a meeting withthe press on Wednesday,
September 6, 2017.
Jean-Christophe Niel met
with over a dozen journalists
specialized in environmental
subjects to discuss topicalissues.

– p. 52+ Preparing an agreement
on quality of lifein the workplace
To draw up an agreement
on quality of life in theworkplace and preventing
occupational stress, threeworking groups representing
IRSN staff were formed to
discuss the topics of equality,
well-being and balance.
– p. 54+ An exemplary buildingin Fontenay-aux Roses
Building 01, which wascompleted in July 2017,
meets strict criteria
in terms of energy efficiency,
functionality and comfort.
– p. 57

INTERNATIONALRESEARCH

214
bilateral agreements signedwith research and assessment
organizations (212 in 2016)

52

39.8%

countries involvedin these agreementsof budget devoted
to research excluding
property projects
and Feurs (41.4% in 2016)(42 in 2016)14

54

projects which
IRSN coordinatesinternational projects underway under
the aegis of OECD-NEA, the European
Commission, or ANR (61 in 2016)(19 in 2016)

209

publications in Journal
Citation Reports(231 in 2016)

395

scientific lecturesat conferences

IRSN financial report 2017 is available
on the website www.irsn.fr

ACTIVITYKEY FIGURES(407 in 2016)26

dissertations defended(20 in 2016)

TECHNICAL SUPPORTFOR PUBLIC AUTHORITIES

50.7%
of budget devoted to technicalsupport and public service
missions excluding property
projects and Feurs

99

technical notices to ASN

118

technical notices to Authorities
in charge of non-proliferation(119 in 2016)(49% in 2016)

536

technical notices
and reports to ASN(531 in 2016)(104 in 2016)

62

technical notices
to the nuclear defense safety
Authority(77 in 2016)

DISSEMINATIONOF KNOWLEDGE

2,896,291
visits to the IRSN website(2,455,336 in 2016)

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

2159

french patents in force(including 2 co-owned)

patents in force abroad(42 in 2016)(25 including 10 co-owned in 2016)402
notices and reports publishedon the IRSN website (351 in 2016)

153,825
pages consulted in the “Research”
section of the IRSN website

28
software applications and databases placed withthe software protection Agency (APP)(including 7 co-owned)(28 including 7 co-owned in 2016)(146,189 in 2016)40
requests for IRSN action
received from local informationcommissions (24 in 2016)

3
IRSN publications (1 in 2016)

15

TRAINING

126

744

1,650

hours of training given
at ENSTTI France
in 5 training sessions
on nuclear safety

hours of teaching given
at ENSTTI France
in 28 training sessions
on radiation protection

hours of teaching given
outside the Institute(universities, engineeringschools, INSTN, etc.)(154 in 2016)(764 in 2016)(1,660 in 2016)

IRSN operations at local
information Commissions(16 in 2016)

111

43,109€1.32M

students from French and foreignschools took part in the radiation
protection workshops in schools
initiative (117 in 2016)

hours of training given to maintainthe skill levels of engineersand experts

spent on training(43,250 in 2016)(€1.39M in 2016)

BUDGET BREAKDOWN€266M
revenue (€276M in 2016)€280M

Total funding

Amount of other funds

59.4% Budget act 190 grant
24.3% Operators’ contribution
14.9% Other French or foreign
funds (aside from budget act)
1.4% Budget act 212 grant€33.71M

Frenchfunds€2.92M

foreign
funds

revenue including €11M
for equipment investment(€287M, including €25M in 2016)

Foreign funds
60.1% Riskaudit
14.4% European Union
7.8% Others
3.4% Nuclear power joint
venture co.
3.2% Bundesamt
fur Strahlenschutz
2.6% IOAC
2.5% EU Directorate General
2.2% NRC
1.9% NRA
1.8% China Nuclear Power

French funds(aside from budget act)
54.5% Others
13.6% State
11.5% EDF
7.1% CEA
4,9% ENSTTI
4.8% Areva
3.6% ANR

Operatingand investment
expenditure
95% Operating expenses
5% Investment

SERVICE CONTRACTS€32.3M

HUMAN RESOURCES+ Distribution of employees

revenue(€38.9M in 2016)

24,407
customers(24,695 in 2016)

94

1,800

employees recruitedon permanentcontracts

employees(1,770 in 2016)(44 in 2016)€20.36M
commercial services(€20.13M in 2016)

60

1,655

persons assigned to otherorganizations permanentcontracts

145(64 in 2016)€10.86M
Dosimetry(€10.39M in 2016)21permanent contracts(1,627 in 2016)

on fixed-term contracts(143 in 2016)

temporary assignments(21 in 2016)€0.86M
Biological analyses(€0.80M in 2016)€2.23M
Riskaudit(€1.86M in 2016)

81

6

47

doctorate
students

post-doctorate
students

doctors or persons qualified to direct
research (48 in 2016)(73 in 2016)(19 in 2016)€1.50M
EDF(€2.57M in 2016)€1M
Training(€0.60M in 2016)€3.91M
Others(€3.91M in 2016)

54.5% Men

75.9% Executive staff

45.5% Women

24.1% Non-executive staff

+D istribution of men/womenby age group+ Average age

43.7

44.3

years for womenyears for men(43.3 in 2016)(44.6 in 2016)

Men
6.3

Women

Age

3.8

> 60

11.8

11.0

56 to 60

12.6

10.5

51 to 55

15.2

+ Locations

18.3

10.3

20

25 to 30

9.0
3.3

312 employees on permanentcontracts in the Southeast Region

31 to 35

12.2

12.2

10

41 to 4536 to 40

16.0

13.4

1,343 CDI employees
on permanent contracts
in the North Region

46 to 50

16.2

14.9

< 25

2.9

0

10

20

as % by genderMen
Cherbourg - Octeville

Le Vésinet
Saclay62
Fontenay-aux-Roses
Orsay

Age

Women
31

> 60

116

90

124

86

56 to 60
51 to 55
133

149
146
131
Pierrelatte
Vairao (Tahiti)

131

101

Les Angles - Avignon

31 to 35

74
32

Cadarache

41 to 4536 to 40

100

120

Tournemire

46 to 50150

25 to 30

24

< 25
200

100

0

100

200

numbers by genderAnnual Report 2017

SENIOR MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE AS OF FEBRUARY 1, 2018
Marie-Pierre BIGOT
Director of Communications

Jean-Marc PÉRES
Deputy Director Generalin charge of Health and Environment

Jean-Christophe NIEL
Director General
Georges-Henri MOUTON
Deputy Director General,in charge of Defense-related missions

Cyril PINEL
Director of International Affairs

Jean-Luc LACHAUME
Executive Director for Emergency
Response

Jean-Bernard CHÉRIÉDeputy Director General,in charge of Administration

Michel ENAULT
Director of Human Resources

Giovanni BRUNA
Scientific Director

Jérôme JOLY
Senior Advisor

Martial JOREL
Director of Knowledge Management

Thierry CHARLES
Deputy Director Generalin charge of Nuclear Safety

Sylvie SUPERVIL
Inspector General and Quality Officer

Patrice DESCHAMPS
Director of Strategy, Development
and Partnerships*

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AS OF FEBRUARY 1, 2018
The IRSN Executive Committee is chaired by the Director General and made up
of 26 members representing the Institute’s operational and functional divisions.

2

1

3

4

7

5

8

9

11
12

10

13

François BESNUS (14), Marie-Pierre BIGOT (22), Giovanni BRUNA (15), Thierry CHARLES (18), Jean-Bernard CHÉRIÉ (3), Michel CHOUHA ** (8),Didier DEMEILLERS (4), Patrice DESCHAMPS (16), Michel ENAULT (19), Jean-Christophe GARIEL (24), Karine HERVIOU (10), Jérôme JOLY (11),Martial JOREL (23), Jean-Luc LACHAUME (20), Didier LOUVAT *** (21), Jean-Marie MATTÉI (25), Frédéric MÉNAGE (12), Frédéric MERMAZ,
Georges-Henri MOUTON (2), Jean-Christophe NIEL (1), Jean-Marc PÉRES (9), Cyril PINEL (6), Pierre PIQUEMAL-LAGORRE (7),André ROUBAUD (13), Véronique ROUYER (17), Sylvie SUPERVIL (5)

16
14

15

* Acting Director ** Riskaudit *** ENSTTI.

17

18

19

20

23

21
22

24

25

13

STRATEGICCHALLENGES
IMPLEMENTING SCIENTIFIC STRATEGYIRSN conducts research with the aim of improving knowledge to enhance nuclear
safety and radiation protection and to prepare for the assessment activities
of tomorrow. It was with this aim in mind that in 2016 IRSN drew up a scientificstrategy to be implemented within its safety, health and environmental research units.

DEVELOPING THE SCIENTIFIC STRATEGY
While the discussion on scientific strategy has sought to determine the most pressing scientific issues involved in radiation
protection, safety and security to be addressed over the nextten years, its implementation requires an approach that defines
the relevant subject areas demanding further research, anticipates any scientific or technological obstacles and identifies thesolutions to overcome them. This exercise contributes to IRSN’s
forward planning, particularly for its next Performance Target
Agreement and its 2019-2023 Medium-Term Plan.
In parallel, IRSN has turned to its Scientific Council throughout
the year to examine these research initiatives. In particular,
the Council has highlighted the need for IRSN to reflect on thepositioning of software and large platforms, to improve the process of identifying future research areas when it comes to major
equipment, and to enrich its approach to research by incorporating the need for probabilistic risk analysis.
The Scientific Council reiterated that access to experimentation
was essential and invited IRSN to propose an alternative strategy
in case it met scientific obstacles. Finally, it stressed IRSN’s uniquerole in fitting together the building blocks to address the complexities of nuclear safety, security and radiation protection issues.

RESEARCH ASSESSMENTBY HCERES
All public bodies conducting research have to undergo assessment every five years, and most of IRSN’s 2017 assessment was
carried out during the year. As required by the High Council for
Evaluation of Research and Higher Education (HCERES), there
are two parts to the assessment: the assessment of the research
units and the assessment of the IRSN as a whole.
Based on subsidiarity, IRSN had proposed an external assessment
body for the research units. This was approved by HCERESin March 2017, and IRSN then formalized the procedure into
guidelines.

14

Assessing IRSN as a whole involved a self-assessment submitted
to HCERES on June 30 followed by an on-site visit by a panel ofexperts in November 2017, which focused on the link between
IRSN’s strategy and governance on the one hand, and the management of its research on the other.
IRSN's research will now be assessed on an ongoing basis overthe next five years across 15 themed research groups. These
groups were identified during the process of implementing IRSN’s
scientific strategy through its research approach, which was carried out during the year with the research units.

As required by HCERES, the assessment can be
broken down into two parts: the assessmentof the research units and the assessmentof IRSN as a whole.

Annual Report 2017

TOWARDS EUROPEAN COOPERATION
ON WASTE
IRSN is contributing to the European research structuring
strategy by helping to draft a proposal for a joint European
programming tool, to be used for planning and carrying out
research into the management and disposal of radioactive waste.
Following on from the work and conclusions of the European
JOPRAD program, this project brings together technical safety
bodies (TSOs), operators, research bodies and representatives ofcivil society. It plans to respond to the Euratom call for tender,
the deadline for which is September 28, 2018. The purpose of thetool is to integrate R&D, knowledge management, networking andsharing of knowledge with civil society.

In brief
Efficiency
As part of a drive to make the use of their resources more efficient andstreamlined, IRSN and CEA have begun a new reflection process on the potential for pooling or jointly developing simulation tools and experimental
infrastructure, in the fields of both safety and radiation and environmental
protection. This is an approach that IRSN plans to transpose to other research
partnerships, by granting access to its experimental platforms. These prospectsof strengthened cooperation will enable the best skills to be mobilized in acontext of limited resources.
Development
Having reached a phase of maturity in their application, several projects– namely a hydrogen measuring device and a filtration medium for iodine –undertaken in the wake of the Fukushima accident, as part of the PIA/RSNR
program, secured extra funding in 2017, enabling them to take a further step
towards industrial use.
Partnership
IRSN contributed to the bid for a call for tender launched by INCA in 2017
to develop a network for pre-clinical research on radiotherapy in France, coordinated by AP-HP. The submitted project aims to collectively and graduallydevelop a shared strategic research agenda to improve one of the main cancer
treatment options.

FOCUS ON...
IRSN 2030 project
The first half of 2017 saw the Director
General mobilize IRSN to engage in acollective internal reflection process
on IRSN's ambitions of excellence,
independence, sharing and forward
planning from now to 2030.
The process should allow IRSN to set
itself pertinent strategic guidelines
and associated operating principles
in order to adapt to changes in its
environment.
The 2017 management seminar,
together with the service proposals
and general assembly meetings
constituted the first phase of theprocess of putting ideas into motion,
which enabled the first IRSN 2030
summary report to be drawn up. The
report was presented to the Board of
Directors in October 2017.
A series of workshops open to all
staff was launched in November
2017. It will draw to a close in April
2018 with the creation of proposals
for achieving IRSN’s strategic ambitions.
At the end of the reflection process,the IRSN 2030 project will be implemented operationally through programs and action plans; it will informthe discussions held to prepare thenew performance target agreementwith the supervisory authorities, due
to enter into force in 2019.

As a research organization,
IRSN devotes nearly 40%
of its budget to research.

15

Strategic challenges

FOCUSING ON THE MAIN NUCLEAR SAFETY, SECURITY
AND RADIATION PROTECTION CHALLENGES
As the public expert in nuclear and radiological risks, IRSN provides support to the
public authorities and government departments. With demand for its risk assessment
services growing, IRSN has been keen for several years to prioritize requests
for technical support through preparatory discussions with the public and supervisory
authorities on the referrals it receives, while working to improve its efficiency.

MAKING STRATEGIC CONSISTENCY A PRIORITY
To achieve its objectives with regard to required technical excellence and the conformity of its assessment work with the commitments it has made, IRSN has for some years followed an approachbased on dialogue with everyone involved in the process of preparing opinions.
This approach is based on an agreement governing the procedures by which IRSN provides technical support. Particular attention is paid to defining an operating framework that encourages
discussion with the public authorities and to prioritizing therequests for technical support it receives. In 2017, the frameworkagreement between ASN and IRSN came up for renewal for theperiod 2017-2022.
Although the new agreement contains all the same technicalsupport terms as previous agreements signed between IRSN
and ASN, it also includes new provisions introduced by the Act
on energy transition for green growth (TECV Act) and Decree
No. 2016-283 on IRSN. As a result, ASN and IRSN have definedpractical procedures for the publication of IRSN’s opinions. They
have also set up a reflection and discussion group on research
activities, since ASN has responsibility under the TECV Act formaking recommendations and proposals on research needs innuclear safety and radiation protection.
The ambition of strategic consistency with the public authorities isalso reflected in increased efforts on the programming and regulation of its assessment activity, taking account of the deadlines forindustrial projects such as the commissioning of the EPR reactor
and the fourth ten-yearly outage inspections of 900 MWe reactors.
This strategic consistency is also established ahead of any technical investigations, by defining the safety and radiation protection
objectives that will constitute the applicable regulatory reference
framework. In 2017, IRSN provided support to the public authorities in the context of ongoing work to transpose European Directive 2013/59/Euratom, laying down basic safety standards forprotection against radiation.

The ambition of strategic consistency withthe public authorities is a priority for IRSN.
Under its technical support mission, for monitoring and warning
purposes IRSN spends a large amount of time on monitoring
facilities and their operating conditions, the radiological stateof the environment, and worker exposure. In 2017, IRSN was
mobilized in relation to issues such as the detection of ruthenium-106 in the atmosphere in Europe and its impact on the landand, as regards nuclear facility safety, the handling of problems
related to the seismic resistance of pipes in the pumping stations

16of 29 nuclear reactors in France, as well as the behaviorof a canal dike at the Tricastin nuclear power plant in the eventof an earthquake.

TRANSPOSING BASIC STANDARDS FORRADIATION PROTECTION INTO REGULATIONS
As part of the technical support it provides to the Ministries of
Health, Employment and Risk Prevention, IRSN took part in work
to transpose European Directive 2013/59/Euratom of December 5,2013 into French law, which lays down basic safety standards
for radiation protection. During this undertaking, IRSN’s expertise was put to good use preparing the texts of the decrees, oneof which concerns the provisions of the Labor Code, the otherconcerning the provisions of the Public Health, Environment andDefense Codes, respectively. The work will continue into 2018 withthe preparation of the implementing orders.

In brief
Public policy
IRSN contributed to develop the national health strategy for 2018-2022,
published by the Ministry of Solidarity and Health at the end of 2017.
The Institute highlighted the use of ionizing radiation in the medical fieldand environmental health problems linked to multiple exposure.

NUCLEAR SAFETYASSESSMENT PROCESSAnnual Report 2017

NEW ORGANIZATION OF RADIATIONPROTECTION ACTIVITIESIRSN developed its organizational structure on July 1, 2017 inorder to clarify its activities in radiation protection, the synergies
between research and expertise, and its cross-disciplinary approachto emergency response. It set up a Health and Environment Unit,
which has two operational divisions, one for health and one forthe environment. A Deputy Director of Emergency Response wasappointed to work under the Director General.
These changes enable IRSN to adapt to increasingly demanding
institutional, technical and societal expectations, both in France andinternationally, and to meet the following challenges:
being able to provide proportionate and consistent radiologicalrisk assessment services;strengthening IRSN’s ability to provide emergency responsewhen a nuclear or radiological accident occurs, regardless of
its origin;maintaining IRSN’s standing as the authority in radiologicalcharacterization;
better understanding the effects of exposure to ionizing radiation
on healthy tissue, especially in applications in the medical field;
acquiring knowledge aimed at achieving a better understandingof the mechanisms related to the effects of chronic exposure to
low-dose ionizing radiation, including the specific problems
associated with multiple exposure in particular.

FOCUS ON...
Efficiency and performance
For many years now, IRSN’s procurement policy has reflected thegovernment’s five performance areas,
namely economic performance, accessfor SMEs to public procurement,
integrating innovation, and theinclusion of social and environmental clauses. Every year, IRSN’s procurement action plan is submitted
to the government’s procurement
department. At the start of 2016, thetarget savings rate was 2.1%, butultimately IRSN achieved a rate of
3.42%, resulting in savings of €€3.73
million on the total amount of purchases communicated during theyear.
In addition to a constant quest to
meet the need for goods and services at the right price, time andquality to ensure that IRSN can fulfill
its missions, its procurement policy
has fostered the development of a
procurement approach that is sustainable in the long term: efforts
were made in 2016 to provide legal
safeguards for the public procurement contracts signed by IRSN, on
account of the current legal situation
as regards public procurement; tofoster greater competitiveness bylaunching its consultations on thegovernment’s online procurement
platform; and to seek opportunities for discussion with companies
through work on sourcing prior to
the launch of competitive procedures, and negotiations where regulations permit.
These actions led to the awarding of:
2,373 contracts to SMEs andmicro businesses, worth a total of€21 million, representing 19.27%
of the allocated budget for 2016;
62 contracts in the sheltered
employment sector, for social
inclusion;
173 contracts containing an environment clause;
30% of the total 2016 spending on
innovative purchases.

IRSN 2030
In 2017, IRSN submitted more than
800 reports to the public authorities
for civil and Defense-related matters.

Excellence

Prioritize expertise favoring
informed decision-making

17Strategic challenges

OPENNESS TO SOCIETY: FURTHER INNOVATION
After eight years of implementing IRSN’s Charter on Openness to Society,its employees have taken up the challenge in their practices, which has led
to satisfying the environmental principles of the right to information and public
involvement. IRSN now plans to develop innovative approaches to better apprehend
the benefits of its interactions with society and diversify the ways in which this input
is incorporated into its assessment and research activities.

STRENGTHENING PARTICIPATION
In 2017, IRSN continued to pursue its policy of openness to society
by looking in particular at the development of new methods ofparticipation.

AN INNOVATIVE MEANS OF INTERACTING
WITH SOCIETY

In the context of the CIGEO project to dispose of radioactive waste
in a deep geological repository, new methods of holding technical discussions between IRSN’s experts and members of civilsociety were employed. For this project, IRSN took the initiativeof involving civil society in the process of assessing the safety
options report for the CIGEO Disposal Facility. Discussion withstakeholders on complex issues with major societal implications,like waste management, helps to put the assessment process ona more solid footing.

To develop stakeholder involvement, the European SITEX-II project to build a lasting network of independent technical experts
in the safety of deep geological radioactive waste disposal has
worked in particular on the development of new modes of interaction with civil society on these issues. From 2015 to 2017,
IRSN experts involved in the SITEX-II project trialed a means ofinvolving civil society throughout the project by holding themed
seminars in which around thirty European organizations andnon-institutional experts from civil society took part.

As part of ongoing cooperation with ANCCLI, technical dialogue
initiatives now look at the most complex and high-risk issues andstart as early as the phase of examination by IRSN. One exampleof this is the joint organization by ANCCLI, the Flamanville CLI,
ASN and IRSN of technical discussions on the anomaly in thecomposition of the steel used to make the reactor vessel headand bottom head of the EPR at Flamanville (Manche), which were
proposed as early as 2015. The participants in these discussions
have been meeting regularly ever since. The fourth meeting took
place on July 5, 2017 and was a chance to look back over thewhole technical appraisal process and its conclusions. Similarly,
in February 2017, a discussion meeting organized in conjunction
with ANCCLI and ASN brought together stakeholders to review
the report on carbon content anomalies in the steel used in a
number of steam generators in French nuclear power plants.

The value of these discussions on waste disposal was apparent
to all parties involved, including the safety authorities and theirtechnical experts, researchers and civil society. Reports arebeing finalized and a network known as SITEX_Network, led by
IRSN, was set up in January 2018 in the form of an association.
It is divided into three panels representing the TSOs, the safety
authorities and civil society.

IRSN also set up another new stakeholder involvement initiativeby endeavoring to involve patient associations in its responses
to calls for tender issued by research funding bodies, such as
the ANR, in the healthcare sector. This type of initiative aims to
make use of the knowledge held by stakeholders, instead of restricting IRSN’s analysis solely to scientific and technical aspects.
This approach was used in the case of a research project on boneregeneration strategies in patients having undergone treatment
for cancer of the upper aerodigestive tract by a protocol using
radiotherapy.

IRSN 2030

15
IRSN operations at local
information commissions

18

Sharing

Develop partnerships with civilsociety for the common goodAnnual Report 2017

INCORPORATING RESEARCHPOLICY COMMITTEERECOMMENDATIONSThe Research Policy Committee met twice
in 2017, continuing the cycle initiated toestablish how well IRSN takes accountof the Committee’s views in directing its
research studies. The Committee measured progress in the field of research
into the effects of low doses and highdoses, and assessed the extent to which
its recommendations had been followed.
The meetings provided an opportunity
to reflect on topics of interest for future
research projects, such as the consideration of multiple exposure in researchon low doses, European research into
radiation protection on the whole, and
IRSN’s approach to research on accident
prevention in the field of nuclear facility
safety. They also gave the Committee achance to assess the progress of the multidisciplinary groups working on postaccident recovery and very low level waste(VLLW) management.

2017 IRSN BAROMETER ON FRENCH PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS OFRISKS AND SAFETY
IRSN’s barometer on French public perceptions of risks and safety has been published every year since 1990 and records changes in public opinion on issues related
to social and environmental concerns, scientific and technical expertise, and risk situations, including those arising from civil nuclear applications. For the first time, the 2017
Barometer, which is based on a survey conducted in November 2016, was enhanced byhaving external scientists give their perspective on the results of IRSN's analysis.

The Barometer’s results demonstrate the importance that the French
place on knowledge-sharing, transparency and pluralism, continuing
the trend shown in previous editions.
Among the points of note in 2017, the issues related to the EPR (anomalies in the steel
used to make the reactor vessel head and bottom head) and the steam generators were
only specifically mentioned by 20% of those questioned, despite the issues receiving alarge amount of media coverage. 2017 continues the trend of previous editions, showing
the importance that the French place on knowledge-sharing, transparency and pluralism.
What emerges is that nuclear power plants uphold an image of reliability, even though
the French public continues to express concern about the impact on their health, andthat the occurrence of an accident at a nuclear power plant remains the most fearedtype of industrial disaster. One marked change is that perceptions of the competence
and credibility of those involved in nuclear risk management in various capacities havediminished significantly.
In 2017, the Barometer was enriched by having external scientists give their perspectiveon the results of IRSN's analysis.

FOCUS ON...
CIGEO: as attentive as possible
to society’s concerns
During its examination of the safety
options report for the CIGEO project, submitted by Andra, IRSN
consulted members of ANCCLI,
the Bure CLI and the citizens’ panel
from the public debate on CIGEO
held in 2013, as well as non-institutional experts from the very start of
the assessment process.
IRSN’s aim is to establish structured
dialogue between public experts
and representatives of civil society,and to ascertain their main concerns
so that these can be incorporated
into the analysis and the conclusionsof IRSN’s assessment. After gathering comments and questions, IRSN
explained to the participants how
it had taken account of each point
in question in its assessment of thereport.

As part of actions to promote openness to society, a technicaldialog on waste took place between ANCCLI, the Bure CLIs
and IRSN on December 13 and 14, 2017.

19

ASSESSING
NUCLEAR FACILITIESIN OPERATIONAs the public expert in nuclear and radiological risks, IRSN examines the safety reports
submitted by licensees and provides opinions and recommendations to the publicauthorities. As far as civil facilities in operation are concerned, IRSN provides technicalsupport to the ASN in the form of opinions, which it also publishes on its website
as part of its policy of openness to society.

STEAM GENERATOR ANOMALIESAs a result of the anomaly detected in 2014 in the reactor vessel
head and bottom head of the Flamanville 3 EPR, EDF discovered excessively high carbon levels in the steel used to make theprimary heads of 46 steam generators at nuclear power plants
in operation. The presence of excess carbon in steel can affectits mechanical properties, reducing its strength. Carbon content
measurements were made on the external surface and nondestructive tests were carried out on the primary heads of the affected steam generators.
This anomaly meant that EDF had to re-examine the risks of sudden failure of those steam generators insofar as the mechanicalproperties of the steel have been altered. These studies were
supplied by EDF in October and November 2016 and have beenassessed by IRSN.
IRSN’s assessment consisted in assessing the impact of thisanomaly on the risk of sudden failure of the steam generatorsin question. To this end, IRSN drew on the initial justifications
communicated by EDF, as well as its own calculations and theavailable literature data and research results. IRSN also reaffirmed its position on the mechanical properties of steel containing high carbon levels by drawing on the expertise of the Belgian
assessment body, Bel V, a member of the ETSON network, which
comprises IRSN and its European counterparts. Lastly, IRSN
made a joint visit with ASN to the Japanese manufacturer, JCFC,in particular to understand more about the cause of the excessive
carbon levels observed.

IRSN’s assessment consisted in analyzing the impactof this anomaly on the risk of sudden failure of thesteam generators in question.

20

On the basis of the analyses carried out and the associated recommendations, IRSN's assessment concluded that, in view of thecompensatory measures taken by EDF, there was no risk of sudden failure of these 46 primary heads. IRSN’s examination of thejustifications provided by EDF enabled the ASN to take a position
on restarting the six reactors affected.
As part of this process, IRSN, jointly with the ASN and ANCCLI,
organized a discussion day on February 24, 2017. The meetingprovided an opportunity to discuss the complex issue and tounderstand the particular concerns of the participants representing civil society, especially relating to safety margins.

Annual Report 2017

PUMPING STATION FLOOD RISK IN THE EVENT
OF AN EARTHQUAKEPROTECTING THE TRICASTIN NUCLEAR SITE
FROM FLOOD RISKS

Following the detection of advanced corrosion of several water
pipes in the pumping station at the Belleville site, EDF reported
the results of its investigations on the entire power plant fleet to
the ASN. As part of the process, IRSN examined the report on thissignificant safety event reported by EDF in October 2017, which
was at level 2 on the INES scale and affected 29 reactors in nuclear
power plants in operation.

The ASN’s decision to temporarily shut down the Tricastin nuclear
power plant and certain Orano (formerly Areva) facilities on
this site was mainly based on IRSN’s assessment of the consequences of insufficient strength of a section of dike along the
Donzère-Mondragon canal on the safety of site facilities, in theevent of a seismic margin earthquake (SME). Since 2007, IRSN
had carried out several technical assessments, which had revealed
the possible fragility of a section of the Donzère-Mondragon canaldike near the Tricastin site and the need for a geotechnical surveyof the materials used in the construction of this section.

The degree of corrosion of the pipes meant that it was no longer
possible to guarantee their resistance to an earthquake and could
therefore cause a flood in the pumping station. In a situation like
this, flooding of the essential service water system pumps would
cause partial or total loss of coolant, depending on the site, forthe reactors and spent fuel pools.
EDF began work to bring the reactors at power plants in operation into compliance, by carrying out temporary repairs or replacing entire sections of corroded pipe.
For each of the affected reactors, IRSN ensured that the compensatory measures taken by EDF pending repair were adequate.
In parallel, IRSN carefully checked the adequacy and appropriateness of the repairs planned by EDF to ensure reactor and spent
fuel pool cooling is guaranteed in the event of an earthquake.

536
technical notices and reports
submitted to ASN (excluding
defense-related activities)

The reinforcements proposed by EDF wereassessed by IRSN, which concluded that they
were suitable to ensure the dike’s stability
in the event of an SME.
The results of the investigations carried out for this purpose in2016 by the licensee confirmed the risk of loss of integrity ofthis portion of the dike in the event of an SME of magnitude 5.2.
The protection of the reactors at Tricastin and of the other nuclear
facilities operated on the site by Orano (formerly Areva NC) fromflood risks relies particularly on the dike.
The inability to provide evidence of the stability of a section ofdike in the event of an SME, thereby compromising the safety
demonstration of the EDF reactors and other facilities on thesite, prompted the licensees to report a significant safety eventto the ASN in August 2017. Besides the temporary shutdown of
the Tricastin nuclear power plant, the ASN asked EDF to supplement its geotechnical investigations in order to characterize
in more detail the composition of the section of dike in question
and, before restarting the reactors, to carry out the necessary
reinforcement work on it.
The reinforcements proposed by EDF were assessed by IRSN,
which concluded that they were suitable to ensure the dike’s
stability in the event of an SME, provided that certain monitoringand maintenance measures were implemented. Completion of
the reinforcement work enabled the ASN to lift its temporary
shutdown order in early December.
Authorization to restart the Orano (formerly Areva NC) facilities
was given before the reinforcement work was carried out, once
special protection measures against flood risks had been implemented for these facilities.

IRSN assesses the safety of nuclear reactors and each year publishes“IRSN’s Position on Safety and Radiation Protection at Nuclear Power
Plants in France”.
(Photo: Blayais power plant)21

Assessing nuclear facilities in operation

FUEL ROD CLADDING STRENGTH CRITERIAOn June 15, 2017, IRSN presented its assessment of the strength
criteria for fuel rod cladding to the Advisory Committee for Reactors. The cladding acts as the first containment barrier separating
the radioactive material from the environment. The majority of
the criteria, taken essentially from the American safety baseline
dating from the 1970s, had not been reviewed since EDF’s fleet of
nuclear power plants was designed, even though the operating
conditions of the reactors, the fuel and knowledge had all evolved.
These criteria, such as the thickness of the oxide that forms on
the cladding surface due to a reaction with the coolant water or
the temperature reached by the cladding, concern values thatare characteristic of a physical state that the fuel can reach butthat it must not exceed. The limit values are determined throughexperiments simulating the situations that can occur in a reactor,
ranging from normal operation to accident situations. The safety
report studies aim to demonstrate compliance with these criteria,
taking a conservative approach.
IRSN undertook a complete review of the criteria on the basis of
information received from EDF and the current state of knowledge
provided by R&D in France and abroad. The integration of operating experience feedback (the presence of rods with integrity
defects and lateral deformation of fuel assemblies) in the criteria
and the safety demonstration were also examined.
This extensive task for both EDF and IRSN, requiring a combination of assessment and research, confirmed certain limit values,
supplemented others and also led to the introduction of new
criteria.

FUTURE METRO LINE TO PASS CLOSE
TO THE CEA PARISSACLAY CENTERIRSN examined the safety study submitted by CEA on the compatibility of its nuclear facility activities on the Saclay site (Essonne)
with the creation of a public transport route nearby, namely the
future line 18 of the Paris metro.
IRSN’s assessment looks at facilities which, in some cases, are due
to change in the short or medium term. The final shutdown ofseveral nuclear facilities on the Saclay site – experimental reactors
and the waste treatment plant – followed by their decommissioning is in fact scheduled to take place in the next few years, which
could affect their hazard potential.
As regards the consequences of the metro’s operation on thesafety of the nuclear facilities, including any accident situations
likely to affect it, IRSN considered CEA’s analyses to be satisfactory, except for those related to fire risks. For these risks, IRSN
considers it necessary to verify that a generalized fire in a metro
train would not have an impact on the facilities.
Concerning the possible consequences of an accident affecting
a nuclear facility on the site for metro passengers and staff, IRSN’s
examination of the three accident situations presented by CEA led
it to conclude that some of the assumptions result in an underestimation of the potential radiological consequences of these
accidents.

22

STUDIES OF EVENTS AND INCIDENTS
The two reports published by IRSN in 2017 on safety at basic civil
nuclear installations in France in 2015 and 2016 show that there
was a slight drop in the number of significant events reported, allof which were limited to levels 0 and 1 on the INES scale.
IRSN is keen to point out that, in the case of French nuclear power
plants, most events are attributable to organizational failures
or to errors made during maintenance operations.
Since then, three events reported in 2017 at level 2 on the INES
scale have highlighted the importance of, and risks associatedwith, the quality of maintenance and checks on the complianceof facilities with applicable safety requirements.
For other facilities, IRSN has emphasized the need to improve
the technical and organizational measures associated with theradiation protection of operators in areas where there is a contamination risk and to take account of the specific characteristics
of certain phases of plant decommissioning.

Annual Report 2017

Decommissioning of old
facilities at La Hague:intermediate storage
compartment of the HAO siloat the UP2-400 plant.

IRSN 2030
IndependenceContinue to guarantee impartial
expert assessments relating
to overall risk management

FINAL SHUTDOWN AND DECOMMISSIONING
OF FORMER FACILITIES AT LA HAGUEIRSN presented the conclusions of its assessment of the safety
reports received from Orano (formerly Areva NC) to the ASN
advisory committees, to support its applications for the final shutdown and complete decommissioning of its basic nuclear installations No. 33 (UP2-400 plant) and No. 38 (STE2 liquid waste
treatment station and AT1 pilot facility) on the Orano (formerly
Areva NC) site at La Hague, including operations to recover legacy
waste stored at these installations.
IRSN concluded that the safety measures chosen by Orano (formerly Areva NC) are satisfactory and did not identify elements
likely to compromise the projects to recover the legacy waste.
Confinement management of “cells” contaminated by significant
quantities of radioactive materials still require special analysis.

In brief
International cooperation
As part of the European ASAMPSA_E project coordinated by IRSN, 30 European, Japanese and American partners worked together to draw up guidelinesthat include new phenomena and the associated methods to be taken into
account in probabilistic safety analyses (PSAs). These guides, which aredesigned for licensees and technical safety organizations, cover different
external hazards such as earthquakes, floods, lightning, extreme weather
conditions, and plane crashes.
Viktoria Facility, Slovakia
IRSN is studying the design of the filters in the sumps allowing reactor coolant system water to recirculate in the case of an accident. Tests were carriedout at the Viktoria Facility in Slovakia in 2017 to characterize the quantityof impurities retained by a standard filter and the risk of chemical reactions
occurring that would stop the filter from working properly. These results will
be used in particular as part of discussions on the fourth ten-year inspection.

11
technical reviews performed
to support ASN Advisory
Committee meetings regarding
safety23

ENHANCINGTHE SAFETY
OF FUTURE
NUCLEAR
FACILITIESTo assess the safety of facilities at the design or construction stage, IRSN has set up anorganizational structure and acquired resources giving it the necessary knowledge andtools to conduct safety assessments prior to the granting of licenses for construction
or operation. It takes a multidisciplinary approach to the analysis of documentation
submitted by the licensees.

MONITORING OF THE EPR PROJECTAs IRSN continues to examine the documentation supporting theapplication for the EPR operating license, on-site startup tests
are in progress to check that facility systems function correctly
before and after fuel is loaded. In April 2017, an IRSN expert wasseconded to the site to monitor these tests.

IRSN has helped to assess the serviceabilityof the reactor vessel head and bottom headof the EPR reactor at Flamanville.
In the summer of 2017, IRSN acted jointly with the ASN's Nuclear
Pressure Equipment Department (DEP) to assess the serviceability of the reactor vessel head and bottom head, which wereaffected by a manufacturing defect causing an excess carbon
content. The assessment was performed for the purpose of apresentation to the Advisory Committee for Nuclear Pressure
Equipment. It emerged from this joint investigation that Framatome (formerly Areva NP) had demonstrated the serviceability ofthe vessel head and bottom head of the EPR reactor at Flamanvilleand that in-service monitoring measures should be implemented
to check the equipment periodically while the facility is in operation. At this stage, the feasibility of such checks appears to havebeen demonstrated for the bottom head. However, this is not thecase for the reactor vessel head. If these checks cannot be carriedout, the vessel head will have to be replaced in a few years’ time.
Continuing the technical dialogue conducted since 2015 on thisissue, IRSN arranged a meeting in July 2017, in partnership with
the French National Association of Local Information Commissions and Committees (ANCCLI), the Flamanville local information commission (CLI) and the ASN, to present its conclusions
and talk to representatives of civil society ahead of the public
consultation on the ASN’s draft position statement.

24

Annual Report 2017

SAFETY OF SMALL MODULAR REACTORS
SMRs are small reactors that can be installed within a single
infrastructure, i.e. on a modular basis. With a maximum powerof around 300 MWe, they offer a good level of safety comparedto more powerful reactors using the same technology. They canbe used as power reactors or for other applications such as urban
heating systems.
The SMR Regulators’ Forum was set up in 2015 to address themain challenges that the licensing of small modular reactors(SMRs) pose for nuclear safety authorities. Since the Forum wascreated, IRSN has held the vice-presidency. Among its members
are the safety authorities of countries such as the USA, Canada,
China, Russia, South Korea and the UK.
At the end of a two-year pilot phase, the Forum published a reportpresenting its initial conclusions. It appears that most national
regulatory frameworks are adequate for examining construction
license applications for SMRs. They allow a graded approach tobe taken, which means that safety requirements can be imposed
in proportion to the risks.

300
MWe (approximately 1,000 MWth)maximum power of SMRs

Given that these small reactors still pose a significant hazard
potential, the Forum was keen to stress that their design must be
based on the defense-in-depth principle.
The reactors have specific features that must be taken into account,and the Forum is continuing its work by exploring this further.
The Forum also plans to examine the specific requirements thatshould apply to the design and construction of SMRs, taking an
integrated approach that includes human and organizational
factors. The Forum also aims to examine the possibility of a licensing procedure common to several safety authorities, since thedifferent SMR models are likely to be operated in more than one
country. In this regard, the Forum is planning a discussion with
SMR designers so that it can base its exploration of the issue onreal examples.

1,722
mechanical tests carried out
by Framatome (formerly
Areva NP) to support
the demonstration ofserviceability of the vessel
head and bottom headof the EPR reactor at Flamanville

Flamanville EPR: monitoring of startup
tests by IRSN’s experts.

25Enhancing the safety of future nuclear facilities

CIGEO: IRSN PRESENTS ITS CONCLUSIONS
Analyses are carried out at the LUTECE
laboratory, in particular to determine
the radionuclide confinement propertiesof a deep geological repository.

On May 18 and 19, 2017, IRSN presented its examination of thesafety options report for Andra’s CIGEO project to the Advisory
Committees for Waste and for Laboratories and Plants, respectively.
The report examination took place as part of IRSN’s technicalsupport to the ASN, its main aim being to assess the degree ofmaturity of the project and the suitability of the options chosenfrom the point of view of safety and radiation protection, and to
identify whether any major changes to the design are needed.
IRSN took the initiative of gathering questions from representatives of civil society during its examination of the report.
Its analysis found that Andra had made progress towards demonstrating the safety of the CIGEO project at the safety options
report stage, particularly as regards controlling risks while thefacility is in operation. However, IRSN identified four points likely
to lead to modifications in the facility design. The first concerns
the disposal repository architecture, with a view to preventing theunderground infrastructure from becoming a significant pathway
for the transfer of radionuclides to the surface. Some accident
situations, such as a waste package becoming stuck in a cell, need
to be studied in further detail, as do the strategy and resources
for monitoring the repository structures.

26

Finally, the risks related to fire in cells used for the disposal ofbituminized waste packages undoubtedly constitute the mostsignificant issue. In IRSN’s view, the concept chosen by Andrafor this type of waste does not manage these risks sufficiently.
Consequently, it recommends either studying the possibility of
pretreatment to neutralize the thermal reactivity of the bituminized waste, or revising the disposal facility concept to eliminate
the possibility of fire spreading in the cell. According to IRSN,
these points need to be addressed before the construction license
application for the facility is submitted.

In brief
Multi-risk StudyAt the request of the Aude prefecture, IRSN studied the potential healthimpact associated with the operating license application submitted by Orano(formerly Areva NC) for a treatment plant for waste containing nitrates.
IRSN has submitted its conclusions, which state that the radiological impact
does not require further measures in addition to those already planned by
Orano (formerly Areva NC); the same applies to the chemical impact, withthe exception of releases of nickel, arsenic and benzene, for which IRSN
recommended a reduction in the discharge limits applied for.

Annual Report 2017

SAFETY ASSESSMENTS
OF DEFENSE-RELATEDACTIVITIES AND FACILITIESIRSN provides technical support to the Representative in charge of Nuclear Safety
and Radiation Protection for Defense-related Activities and Facilities (DSND).
In the context of this work, IRSN assesses the safety and radiation protection of nuclear
facilities and transport within the DSND’s scope of activity.
2017 was marked by a steady stream of support requests and a large volume of reports
produced for the DSND on a wide variety of subjects, such as the future nuclearpowered attack submarine, the Suffren, and nuclear-powered vessels already in service.
The two following subjects had a particular impact in 2017.

ASSESSMENT OF THE SAFETY REPORT ON
THE SECOND STAGE OF MEGAJOULE LASER(LMJ) FACILITY OPERATIONREACTOR SAFETY COMMISSION MEETINGON AUTHORIZATION TO LOAD THE RESTEST REACTOR

The LMJ, which is located at CESTA (a science and technology
research center in Aquitaine), was set up to contribute to thesimulation program being run by CEA’s Military Applications
Division, by carrying out experiments on the interaction between
lasers and materials, using high-power lasers.

The RES test reactor at the regulated nuclear defense facility(INBS) in Cadarache is a special simulation tool for designingand keeping the on-board reactors and their nuclear cores inworking order.

In 2017, IRSN examined the safety report on the license to continue operating the facility, which should lead to the LMJ laserlines and PETAL* line being used at their nominal power. It looked
particularly carefully at the assessment and management of risks
involving radiation produced by the interaction between the laser
and the material and by the activation of the materials.

2017 was marked by the presentation to the Reactor Safety Commission of a report by IRSN on the license application for operation of the reactor part submitted by the licensee. The report
was written to help the DSND to decide whether to authorize theloading of the first core, giving particular consideration to thesafety of the loading operations and of storing the fuel elementsin the vessel during the period between loading and criticality byconfirming the production quality of the core and ensuring that it
behaves correctly in the event of an earthquake.

62
technical notices
submitted to the
Nuclear Defense
Safety Authority

Aerial view of the RES
individual facility.

*PETAL: laser line that can deliver a very high-power laser for experimental purposesin a number of research areas, particularly civil research.

27

CONTRIBUTINGTO SECURITY AND
NON-PROLIFERATION
In accordance with the missions assigned to it, IRSN provides support and assistanceto the public authorities responsible for checking compliance with regulations on theprotection and control of nuclear materials, nuclear facilities and nuclear materialtransport, and to the public authorities responsible for ensuring compliance with theinternational commitments made by France in the field of non-proliferation of nuclear
and chemical weapons.

CAMPAIGN TO RAISE AWARENESS WITHIN INDUSTRYOF THE NON-PROLIFERATION OF CHEMICAL WEAPONSIRSN provides technical support to the public authorities andto chemical and textile industry associations on the applicationof international treaties on the non-proliferation of chemical
weapons in France. In this context, IRSN has contributed to a
campaign to raise awareness among French companies of the
Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), launched on the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Organization for the Prohibition ofChemical Weapons (OPCW).
The CWC, which was ratified by 192 countries and has been inforce since April 29, 1997, requires that all States Parties provide
an inventory of any chemicals and chemical facilities above certain
thresholds that could potentially be misappropriated from theirhabitual use for unlawful purposes. The 2017 awareness campaign
was designed to make companies located in France aware of theexistence and regulatory obligations of the Convention.

12
missions to escortinternational inspections
involving the chemical
weapons ban“Preventing the misuse of chemicals and chemical plants”
booklet published for the 20th anniversary of the OPCW.

28

Annual Report 2017

Colloquium on “Preventing the diversion of chemicals and chemical facilities” held at the Maison de la Chimie in Paris on October 17, 2017.
Left to right: M. Mouton (IRSN), M. Dufour (Office of the Senior Defense and Security Officer of the French Ministry for the Economy and Finance),
M. Üzümcü (Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons), M. Lalliot (Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs)and M. Juéry (UIC, the French Chemical Industries Association).

SELF-DIAGNOSIS SUPPORT BOOKLETAND CONFERENCE
As part of the campaign, IRSN contributed to the productionof the booklet entitled Prévenir le détournement de produits ou
d’installations chimiques [Preventing the Diversion of Chemicals
and Chemical Facilities], which enables companies to carry out aquick self-diagnosis to determine if they are vulnerable.
IRSN also jointly organized a conference on the same topic, which
provided representatives of companies in the pharmaceutical,
chemical, cosmetic, agrochemical, textile and paper industries
with an opportunity to talk to experts about how the Chemical
Weapons Convention is implemented in France and find out more
about the CWC and regulations.

118

45

technical notices sent
to the non-proliferation
authorities

missions
to escort inspections
involving international
nuclear material control

FOLLOW-UP WITH AN INTERNATIONAL EVENT
To present its cooperation with associations representing thechemical and textile industries as well as the English version of
the booklet to an international audience, on November 29, 2017,
the Permanent Representation in The Hague and IRSN held anside event to the 22nd Conference of the States Parties (CSP) in
partnership with the French Ministry for European and Foreign
Affairs, the Secretariat of the Senior Defense and Security Official
and the French Chemical Industries Union.
A number of diplomats, OPCW inspectors and personnel from the
OPCW’s Technical Secretariat attended the event and the French
initiative was highlighted by Marco Mensink, Director Generalof the European Chemical Industry Council and Secretary of theInternational Council of Chemical Associations, in his speech to
all the States Parties attending the CSP.

29

Contributing to security and non-proliferation

NUCLEAR SECURITY
IRSN provides support and technical assistance to the Senior
Defense and Security Official (HFDS) of the Ministry for Ecological and Inclusive Transition, which is responsible for inspecting
the protection of nuclear materials, facilities and transportation.
The two subjects described below illustrate its activities in 2017.

DETAILED TECHNICAL REVIEW
As part of the application for a license to hold and use nuclear
materials in EPR Reactor No. 3 at Flamanville nuclear power plant,
EDF submitted a study evaluating the effectiveness of the organizational structure and resources implemented to prevent any acts
aimed at altering, damaging or dispersing radioactive materials.
A new detailed technical review procedure was introduced by
the HFDS for the assessment of this application. The HFDS held
working meetings starting in 2015, which were attended by IRSN,
to explain to the licensee the assumptions to be used in the study.
At the request of the HFDS, IRSN’s analysis looked at how well
EDF takes account of threats, identifies targets, assesses vulnerability and manages emergency response and IT systems security.
IRSN delivered the results of its assessment of the issues raised.
The HFDS commended the high quality of the assessment report.
This new review procedure is carried out over the course of several months. It requires clearly setting out the different stages in
the assessment request, such as the meetings in which the HDFS
presents the objectives, expectations and schedule to all parties,
intermediate meetings and the meetings for defining the technicalframework.

A license application for the Flamanville NPP EPR Reactor 3
to hold and use nuclear materials was submitted by EDF
to the Senior Defense and Security Official (HFDS).

30

MONITORING NUCLEAR MATERIALSTRANSPORT
Following IRSN Transport Operations’ introduction of the retrofitted Mazarine tool for the management and monitoring of
nuclear materials transport, and at the request of the HFDS of
the Ministry of Energy, IRSN has launched a new project whichshould allow information on transportation activities to be sentin real time to the public authorities concerned, upon request.
The specifications for the project take account of the needs
expressed by ASN.

169

57

national inspections
related to protection
and control of nuclear
materials

technical checks onapproved equipment
for transportof nuclear materials

99

41

technical notices
sent to ASN

transport
inspections

Annual Report 2017

IDENTIFYING
AND ASSESSING
INCIDENTS
As part of its assessment activities, IRSN analyses incidents reported by licensees andoperators to identify any weak signals for prevention purposes. IRSN also carries out
investigations, using its modeling tools in particular, to identify the origin of artificial
radioactive elements detected in the environment by its monitoring systems.

EXPERIENCE FEEDBACK AND COMPLIANCE OF FACILITIES
Ongoing research to improve safety and manage the state ofreactors: the safety approach in France attaches great importanceto the changes to be made by the operator of a basic nuclear
installation at the time of each safety review, to improve safety.
However, these improvements cannot be fully effective unlessthe technical foundation of the facilities is well known and maintained, i.e. unless the facilities are compliant with their operatingbaseline. An examination of all the events reported in 2017 prompted IRSN to reflect on the amount of attention paid by licensees
to compliance.
Managing the compliance of EDF’s facilities in order to improvesafety relies on a wide range of activities (maintenance, inspection,
testing, etc.), some of which were carried out regularly since theplant was built, while others were introduced during operation.
It was in this context that EDF highlighted several deviations that
led to three significant safety events (SSEs) at level 2 on the INES
scale being reported in 2017.
In late 2016, IRSN stated in its report on the use of experience
feedback that EDF should look again at the adequacy and appropriateness of the very large number of inspections carried out at
its facilities, especially in the context of preventive maintenance.

An event involving the corrosion of pipes at the pumping stationsof 29 reactors illustrates this problem: the maintenance program
implemented at each reactor failed to detect the deterioration of
the pipes and therefore to anticipate the need to replace them.

An examination of all the events reported in 2017
prompted IRSN to reflect on the amount of attention that the licensee pays to compliance.
Similarly, maintenance programs cannot detect all deviations,especially those resulting from incorrect installation when thereactors were built, or equipment that is difficult to access or inspect. This was one of the lessons learned from significant safety
events involving the anchoring systems securing the emergency
generator sets of 1,300 MWe reactors.
In IRSN’s view, this experience feedback raises questions bothabout the scope of the inspections carried out as part of compliance checks of the units performed during the ten-yearly
outages, and about the way in which these inspections are performed. IRSN had already highlighted this point at the end of its
examination of experience feedback, particularly in view of theupcoming fourth ten-yearly outages of the 900 MWe reactors.

In 2017 IRSN published a report presenting
its overall assessment of the significant
events reported by EDF to ASN in 2016 andits analysis of the significant events that had
occurred in 2015 and 2016 at the 85 basic
nuclear installations other than nuclear power
plants in operation.

31

Identifying and assessing incidents

6
actions takenby the emergency
response center

The dikes of the Donzère-Mondragon canalwere reported by EDF and Orano (formerly
Areva NC) due to a noncompliance with thesafety baseline for the Tricastin site facilities.

Finally, in August 2017 EDF and Orano (formerly Areva NC)
reported a noncompliance with the safety baseline for the nuclear
facilities on the Tricastin site, linked to the robustness of the
Donzère-Mondragon canal dikes in the event of an earthquake.
This significant event is a reminder that the compliance of nuclear
facilities relies on the necessary field checks of the assumptions
used for the safety demonstration being carried out with anurgency that is appropriate and proportionate to the safety risks,
so that the compliance of nuclear facilities relies on the timely performance of the necessary field checks of the assumptions used
for the safety demonstration, commensurate with the safety risks
involved in order to enable a rapid response to bring the facility
back into compliance.

DETECTION OF RUTHENIUM-106 IN FRANCEAND ELSEWHERE IN EUROPE
IRSN carried out investigations to locate the source and assess
the scale of ruthenium-106 detected between September 27 andOctober 13, 2017 by a number of European atmospheric radioactivity monitoring networks. IRSN mobilized all of its atmospheric radiation monitoring resources. It also ran simulations,the results of which indicated that the most plausible location of
the release was between the Volga and the Ural regions and thatthe release probably occurred in the final week of September.
The simulations estimated that the amount of ruthenium-106
released was between 100 and 300 terabecquerels, which would
have caused countermeasures to be taken to protect the local
population if the event had occurred in France.
The atmospheric concentrations of ruthenium-106 measured in
France had no impact on human health or on the environment.
IRSN's analysis of exposure scenarios suggested that systematic checks for contamination of imported foodstuffs were notnecessary.
An international committee of experts, including IRSN, BFs(Germany), Stuk (Finland), SSM (Sweden), NRPA (Norway) andONR (United Kingdom), was set up by the Russian authorities,
and chaired by the Nuclear Safety Institute of the Russian
Academy of Sciences (IBRAE). Its objective is to determine thesource of the ruthenium release. Its first meeting was planned forthe end of January 2018.

32

DETECTION OF RADIOACTIVE IODINEIN EUROPE
As part of its atmospheric monitoring mission in France, IRSN
sought to determine the origin of tiny traces of iodine 131, aradioactive element of artificial origin, detected in the atmospherein Europe in January and February 2017.
IRSN’s investigations established that the traces of iodine 131
measured in several European countries during that period could
not have originated from the radioactive releases that occurredin Norway from October to November 2016, as a result of an
accident at the Halden reactor. Because the iodine 131 levels
measured were so low, the location of the source of emission has
not yet been precisely identified, but it is plausible that it was inEastern Europe.

In brief
Measurements near La Hague
Following the publication by the Association for Radioactivity Monitoringin Western France of the results of measurements showing contamination to the north-west of the Orano (formerly Areva NC) site at La Hague(Manche), IRSN conducted some specific measurements in October 2016
and January 2017. The presence of abnormal levels of artificial radionuclides
is probably due to the storage of waste produced in the 1970s, which has
now been removed. The dosimetric impact of this contamination is very low.

IRSN 2030
Independence

Maintain the early warning roleof IRSNAnnual Report 2017

DEVELOPINGRESEARCH
AND SHARINGKNOWLEDGE
IRSN’s research aims to further knowledge in all of its fields of activity and contributes
to the Institute’s performance at all levels of nuclear and radiological risk governance,
namely prevention, diagnosis and remediation, emergency response and postaccident management. IRSN ensures its activity is driven by scientific excellence
and innovation, thereby contributing to the development and sharing of knowledge.

DENOPI PROGRAM: SIGNIFICANT ADVANCES
Significant advances were made in 2017 in three areas of the
DENOPI research program, launched by IRSN following the
Fukushima-Daiichi accident. This research program was set up
to study spent fuel pool uncovery and is funded by the future
investment program run by the ANR. In the wake of the 2011
nuclear accident in Japan, the ANR set aside a significant budget to finance research aimed at improving the prevention andunderstanding of severe accidents at reactors.
Area 1 of the program focuses on studying phenomena in the pool
itself. In 2017, design studies were carried out for the MIDI experimental facility, representing a spent fuel pool on a scale of 1:6.

In 2017, the DENOPI program to study spent fueluncovery entered its experimental phase.
Area 2 of the program is dedicated to studying phenomena withina fuel assembly. It focuses on accident mitigation through thespraying of water and uses two facilities: MEDEA and ASPIC.
The MEDEA facility represents the upper part of a fuel assemblyat full scale. It is used to study the penetration and distribution ofsprayed water within the assembly. The first test campaign was
run in 2017 with an air-water configuration. The design studies of
the ASPIC facility representing an electrically heated fuel assembly at full scale were completed in 2017.
Area 3 will study cladding oxidation phenomena in a mixed
air-water atmosphere. The tests carried out in 2017 have led to aclearer understanding of the role of the oxide layer formed when
the reactor is in operation, and the key role played by nitrogenand defects in the oxide layer. These experimental results will be
used to improve the models.

As part of DENOPI, IRSN has set up an experimental facility known
as MEDEA, which is used to study two-phase flows that can occur withinfuel assemblies stored in pools, in a boiling accident.

39.8%
of budget devoted to research,
excluding property projects and Feurs

33

Developing research and sharing knowledge

COMPLETION OF THE EUROPEANPASSAM PROJECTCABRI INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM:A PIVOTAL YEAROn February 28 and March 1, 2017, the final workshop of the
PASSAM project took place, coordinated by IRSN with eight
European partners. Launched in 2013 as part of the European
Commission’s 7th Research and Development Framework Program (FP7), the PASSAM project studied the retention of radioactive releases, which can occur in the environment following a coremelt accident at a nuclear reactor.

2017 saw the final commissioning tests successfully finalize therequalification of the CABRI experimental reactor after a lengthy renovation period. The campaign of operating tests on thereactor during a power transient, which took place from January
to March 2017, enabled the entire operating domain of the facility
to be characterized; analysis of these tests was also required inorder to obtain the ASN’s authorization to carry out the Cabri
International Program (CIP). The hodoscope alignment tests, enabling the movement of the fuel in the test section to be monitored
live, were conducted in June 2017.

The project focused on improving the filtration systems in nuclear
reactors and studying innovative systems for trapping iodine
compounds which, in the short term, pose the greatest health risk.
Over a four-year period, the PASSAM project assembled a
database of the performance of each filtration system studied.
A number of existing systems were reviewed, including sparging filters, sand bed filters and metal pre-filters, as well as someinnovative systems, such as high-pressure sprays, electrostatic
precipitators, improved zeolites, acoustic agglomerators andcombined wet and dry filtration systems.

2017 also saw the start of preparations for the first CIPQ test of
the Cabri International Program, which aims to study reactivity
accidents, with the loading of a test rod into the hot cell apparatusof the Active Fuel Examination Laboratory (LECA) at Cadarache.

The results of the experiments enabled new calculation models
to be developed and existing ones to be improved. These models
are mainly used by severe accident simulation software, in particular IRSN’s ASTEC software, which is used in the European
Union, but also software specific to sparging filtration systems.
The results of the PASSAM project were published in a final
report available on the project website.

The CABRI International Program(CIP) is dedicated to studying reactivity
accidents in pressurized water
reactors.

34

395

21

scientific papers presented at conferences(MINERVE database)French patents in force(including 2 co-owned)

26

32

young researchers defended their theses in the fieldsof the environment (11 theses), nuclear safety (10 theses)
and health (5 theses) in 2017

new theses hosted this year
for IRSN’s programs

Annual Report 2017

SARNET, THE SEVERE ACCIDENT RESEARCHNETWORK OF EXCELLENCE
Still very active 12 years after its creation, the IRSN-coordinatedEuropean Research Network of Excellence, SARNET, has joined
the NUGENIA * association dedicated to research on Generation II
and III reactors. Its activities include conferences, technical seminars, training courses and the development of new R&D projects.
The 8th ERMSAR conference in Warsaw in May 2017 brought
together 170 participants from 25 countries, including 30 from
Asia. Around 60 young researchers attended the 7th course on
severe accident phenomenology that took place in Slovenia in
October. Several new R&D projects have recently been launched:
CORE-SOAR on core degradation, which will come to a close in2018 with the publication of a report on the international state of
the art; IPRESCA on the retention of fission products by sparging
in water; and SAMHYCO-NET on the risk of hydrogen explosionin the containment during the late phase of an accident and mitigation systems such as recombiners. For the last two of theseprojects, modeling and experimentation began in 2017.
The launch of these different projects demonstrates the importance of research in the field of severe accidents and the role
played by SARNET as a driving force in mobilizing research
partners to engage with projects of common interest, such as
the 22 organizations from 14 different countries involved in the
SAMHYCO-NET project, for example.

SAFETY OF CORIUM RECOVERY AT FUKUSHIMA
Assessing the production and dispersion of contaminated aerosols during the laser cutting of corium at the damaged FukushimaDaiichi reactors is IRSN’s contribution to a research project being
jointly run by Onet Technologies and CEA, on behalf of Mitsubishi
Research Institute and the Japanese Ministry of the Economy.
IRSN is providing its specialist knowledge and expertise in physics and aerosol metrology to determine the quantity and characteristics of the aerosols emitted during cutting and using its
numerical simulation capabilities to predict their dispersion.
The tests are performed in a laboratory on the Altea laser cutting
platform at CEA Paris-Saclay, where non-radioactive corium
simulants are used.

Since 2014, IRSN has been working with JAEA, through aJapanese engineer seconded to IRSN, on the design of reference
experiments on fuel debris beds, with the aim of studying thecriticality risks when they are recovered from damaged reactors.
This collaboration is part of the PRINCESS project, which aims
in particular to maintain access for IRSN to criticality experimentation facilities once the facilities in question at CEA Valduc havebeen shut down.

MICADO LAB
The MICADO LAB facility is used to study the impact of ionizing
radiation on living organisms within the ecosystems that are
the final recipients of many pollutants, including radionuclides.
IRSN is working on a thesis that aims to assess the effects ofchronic exposure to ionizing radiation on epigenetic and genetic
mechanisms and their consequences for the development of
the central nervous system at early developmental stages in thezebrafish (Danio rerio).
This organism, commonly used in toxicology, offers many
advantages such as transparent, abundant and easily accessible
embryos, and a fully sequenced genome. The work focuses on
the development of the central nervous system, a key organ thatplays a crucial biological role in the organism and is known to beparticularly sensitive to stressors, especially at the early stagesof development.
In 2017, zebrafish embryos were exposed to ionizing radiation at
the MICADO LAB facility at different larval stages. The impact ofionizing radiation on embryo development at the morphological,
physiological and molecular levels will be characterized during
chronic exposure at a range of dose rates of several orders ofmagnitude, from 0.1 μGy/h to 100 mGy/h. The exposure experiments will also make it possible to compare DNA methylation
with gene expression.
The data acquired will be analyzed using an integrative systems
biology approach. Epigenetic modifications can dictate the fateof a cell by regulating its gene expression without affecting the
DNA sequence.

CRITICALITY: A FRANCO-JAPANESECOLLABORATION
Following the Fukushima-Daiichi accident, JAEA (Japan) is goingto renovate one of its criticality experimentation facilities, STACY,
to study the criticality of fuel debris beds. Given that the lastexperiment at STACY took place 10 years ago, JAEA has asked
for support from IRSN, which has organized many international
programs held at a similar facility at CEA Valduc.

IRSN 2030
Excellence

Steer and conduct researchon nuclear and radiological risks
in an international setting* NUclear GENeration II & III Association.

35

Developing research and sharing knowledge

ASSESSMENT OF THE ROSIRIS RESEARCH PROGRAM
In 2017, IRSN’s ROSIRIS research program was assessed by a scientific committee, using
the methods proposed by HCERES for assessing IRSN’s research units.
Launched in 2009, ROSIRIS aims to find out more about the mechanisms behind theside effects of radiation therapy on healthy tissues. The goal is to establish a causal link
between the action of ionizing radiation at molecular level, its early effects at cellularlevel and any delayed consequences at tissue level.
The assessment highlighted the scientific advances made by a highly original andambitious interdisciplinary program on fundamental concepts such as dose and relative biological effectiveness (RBE). For example, the concept of RBE is revisited using
an integrative approach to express the response of living organisms at different scales,
which is essential for risk assessment. On the basis of the self-assessment report, which
was commended by the committee, the committee questioned IRSN about the strategic
development necessary to process biological data in one of the project areas, and recommended that long-term partnerships should be set up on a formal footing with externalteams as a matter of priority. To date, various teams have been approached, such as the
Gustave-Roussy Institute and CEA’s Fundamental Research Division.
It also confirmed the potential positive impact of the research on assessing the probability of complications or side effects in healthy tissue and on helping to identify new
approaches to limit those effects.

In brief
Research
The PARIS II experimental platform, designed for research on the incorporation of radioactive substancesby ingestion and inhalation in rodents, went into operation on July 3, 2017 on the Fontenay-aux-Roses
site.
Doctoral student meetup
On December 11 and 12, 2017 IRSN co-organized the first “energy doctorate” days with TOTAL and
EDF. Doctoral students have many opportunities to present their research, but here the aim was to go
beyond just scientific discussion. The initiative aimed to highlight the value of the doctoral students’work, which is central to the research, and to organize discussion sessions between the students inorder to bring different points of view to bear on similar or related problems. Over the two-day period,
45 doctoral students worked together in creativity workshops, to review the future challenges of energy
resources and means of energy production, the associated risks and responsibilities, research networks
and new research practices. The documents produced by the students on these different themes will
feed into the national energy research strategy.
Doctorate prizes and recognition
In 2017, Elif Oral was awarded a European prize by the JCR group (a public-sector and international
reinsurer) for her thesis on the multidimensional modeling of seismic wave propagation in linear andnon-linear media. Salima Kaissoun won a prize for her paper presented at the International Conferenceon Nuclear Engineering, held in China. Her work aims to characterize, through an opening in the containment of a nuclear facility, the quantity of radioactive pollutant likely to be transferred to the outsideduring maintenance and decommissioning. Alexia Lapière was awarded a prize by the event organizers
for her talk at the Microbiota and Health Conference. Her thesis research, conducted in collaboration
with INRA, aims to evaluate the efficacy of a probiotic in reducing damage to a healthy colon whenadministered prior to starting pelvic radiation therapy.

FOCUS ON...
Knowledge management:
forming a network
A key event in 2017 as part of workon knowledge management was thecreation of a network of coordinators to organize and run knowledge
management within their units.
A review of the strategic analysis ofknowledge was carried out for thefield of pressurized water reactor
safety. As a result of the review, aknowledge management action plan
was produced. Further analyses
have been undertaken in the fieldsof health and safety during radioactive material transport and of facilities other than pressurized water
reactors.
Analyses of reference waste package
knowledge sets in the fields of theenvironment and health have also
begun, based on experience gained
from work in the field of reactors.
The drive to capitalize on theknowledge of “knowledge-holders”
has led to the production of more“knowledge books”, in particular theone on the Main risks associated withthe chemistry of the PUREX process
for processing spent fuel.
In parallel, the findings of safetyassessments carried out between
1974 and 1982 and the reports on
safety research issued since 2000
have been added to the intranet
knowledge portal.

The aim of IRSN's ROSIRIS
program is to learn more about
the mechanisms behind the side
effects of radiation therapy
on healthy tissue.

36Annual Report 2017

ENHANCING
INTERNATIONAL
COOPERATIONIRSN plays a driving role in advancing nuclear safety and radiation protection in aninternational context. As a Technical and Scientific Support Organization (TSO),IRSN sets up its own multinational scientific partnerships or conducts its activity
within the framework of EU (ETSON network of TSOs), IAEA or OECD/NEA programs
and projects.
These international activities help to develop IRSN’s knowledge and to maintain a highlevel of expertise through exposure to different technologies and safety practices.
They also enable the development of shared knowledge among partners and fostera uniform approach to risk management in Europe and throughout the world.

ETSON: STRATEGY REINFORCEMENT
As one of the founding members of the ETSON network, IRSN
plays an active role in its development and actions, which aim toadvance nuclear safety and to harmonize practices across Europe.
In 2017, ETSON accepted its sixteenth member, the Romaniantechnical safety organization RATEN ICN. At the meeting of its
general assembly in June, ETSON approved the renewal of its
strategy. Its aim is to become the leading association of experts
in Europe in the field of nuclear safety and security.

As one of the founding membersof the ETSON network, IRSN plays an activerole in its development and actions, which aim
to advance nuclear safety and harmonize
practices across Europe.

52
countries involved in cooperation agreementswith research and assessment organizations
In 2017, work on the technical guides on safety assessment led tothe approval of a guide on the comparison of regulations for theassessment of pressurized water reactor vessels.
As regards research policy, the ETSON Research Group, in liaison
with the Technical Board on Reactor Safety, has set eight generalpriorities for safety research. They will be presented as part ofpreparations for the next EURATOM call for proposals:
improvement of thermohydraulic studies for existing facilities;

In this context, ETSON enhanced its international standing bysigning an agreement with the IAEA and getting involved in
the IAEA’s next TSO Forum. Within the European Commission,ETSON is also in contact with the Joint Research Centre and is
working with DG ENER on analysis of the technical adaptation of
the Nuclear Safety Directive within the Member States.

the impact of one or more external events;
methods for beyond-design-basis safety assessments;
 evelopment and validation of integral computer codes fordsevere accidents;
scenarios for accidents involving spent fuel in pools;thermophysical and thermodynamic properties of corium;s tudy of ageing, degradation mechanisms, modeling and thematerial properties of metal components;
small modular reactors.

Pierre-Tanguy building,
IRSN’s headquarters.

37

Enhancing international cooperation

RESULTS OF THE HORIZON 2020
EURATOM 2016-2017 CALL FOR PROPOSALSIRSN participates in eight of the 25 projects chosen by theEuropean Commission in the H2020 Euratom 2016-2017 call for
proposals. Six of them are in the safety category, while the othertwo concern medical radiation protection and the “tritium” problem. Experts from IRSN are also involved in advisory committees
for three other projects.

IRSN has thus contributed to the acquisition of knowledge tosupport decision-making on the technology to be used for decommissioning the reactors, and will continue to do so under the
TCOFF and Pre-ADES projects that began in 2017. IRSN can help
to promote the use of analyses in improving the overall understanding of severe accidents and will draw on its expertise on the
behavior of materials and thermodynamic databases.

IRSN’s share of the total funding granted by the European Commission remains stable compared to the previous call for proposals. The evaluation criteria were set by the European Commission. In the proposals selected that involve IRSN, the Commission
emphasizes the “clarity of the objectives consistent with expectations”, the “innovative character of the project”, and other aspects
relating to its “technological impact” and “economic impact”.

In brief
Cooperation with ENEA (Italy)
In 2017, Jean-Christophe Niel, Director General of IRSN, and Federico Testa,
President of the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), signed a renewal of the cooperation agreement on nuclear safety and radiation protection between the two organizations
for a further five years. The areas of cooperation include R&D on nuclear fusion,
the development of Monte-Carlo codes, emergency response management, andpassive safety.

RADIATION PROTECTION: IRSN EMBARKSUPON A JOINT ENDEAVOUR WITH QST,ITS JAPANESE COUNTERPART

Study for FANR (United Arab Emirates)
Under the agreement signed at the end of 2016 between IRSN and the United
Arab Emirates safety authority (FANR), the first project (modeling the dispersionof radionuclides in the atmosphere and in the marine environment) entered thetechnical task definition phase.The aim is to develop tools adapted to environmental
conditions in the Persian Gulf.

IRSN has signed a scientific cooperation agreement with theJapanese National Institute for Quantum and Radiological Scienceand Technology (QST). This five-year agreement extends theexisting collaboration between IRSN and the Japanese National
Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS), the activities of whichhave been merged into the QST. The endeavor concerns five areasof radiation protection, namely the effects of chronic exposure
to low doses of ionizing radiation on health, diagnosing andtreating persons accidentally over-exposed, the epidemiology ofcarcinogenic and non-carcinogenic effects of ionizing radiation,internal and external dosimetry in normal and accident situations,and, lastly, biological dosimetry.
The collaboration reflects a desire to strengthen Franco-Japanesecooperation in nuclear safety and radiation protection.

International EUROSAFE Conference
The EUROSAFE Forum was held in Paris on November 6 and 7, 2017, and wasattended by nearly 240 experts of 25 different nationalities.This international conference on nuclear safety and security, radioactive waste management and radiation
protection brings together mainly representatives of nuclear safety authorities andtechnical safety organizations (TSOs). In addition to a strong European presence,
there were also representatives from South Korea, Japan, the USA, Turkey andVietnam.
International research on fire
The third phase of the OECD’s PRISME research project run by IRSN began in 2017.
This international partnership includes 13 organizations from seven countries.
The work focuses on realistic fire scenarios encountered at nuclear facilities andincludes the study of fire sources such as electrical cabinets and cableways.

CONTRIBUTION TO JAPANESEPOST-FUKUSHIMA PROJECTSTo prepare for the decommissioning of the Fukushima-Daiichi
reactors, Japanese authorities and industrial companies havebeen driving research efforts and, to do this, have sought help
from the international community through the OECD. Hence,in 2017, IRSN took part in the BSAF project to diagnose the extent
of the damage to the reactors. The innovative approach used by
the project consisted in comparing radioactive releases fromall the reactors (calculated by severe accident software) and incarrying out reverse calculations of the releases from the readings
taken by detection equipment in the environment.

54
international projects
in progress under the aegis
of OECD-NEA, the European
Commission or ANR

IRSN was involved in diagnosing the extent
of the damage to the Fukushima-Daiichi
nuclear reactors as part of the BSAF project
run under the aegis of the OECD-NEA.

38

Annual Report 2017

214
bilateral cooperationagreements in force withresearch and assessment
organizations

INTERNATIONAL SERVICES
2017 was a good year for the EEIG RISKAUDIT IRSN/GRS International in terms of tenders awarded in the European Union through its INSC instrument. As a result, over the
next three years, IRSN will be involved new projects to support the safety authorities in
Ukraine, Belarus, Turkey and Morocco within the framework consortia led by Riskaudit.
In parallel, IRSN has also been awarded an important tender by China’s TSO, the CNPE,
which will run for five years and cover 19 subject areas.
In 2017, also in the context of its Riskaudit partnership, IRSN has worked on contracts
with the safety authorities of China, Vietnam, Brazil, Indonesia, Egypt, Mongolia,
Belarus and Armenia and has played an active part in the activity of Clearinghouse, which
processes operating experience feedback from nuclear power plants.
The activities it has undertaken, which cover a wide range of topics related to the fuelcycle, different types of nuclear facility and the distribution of codes, include mostnotably:the provision of a service with significant implications under the INSC contract for
China on its development of research on nuclear safety and radiation protection.
This service should in the medium term open up prospects for joint research between
the Chinese entity and IRSN;t he examination of the report released by the safety authority of Belarus (GAN)
concerning the results of the stress tests defined by the European Nuclear Safety
Regulators Group (ENSREG), conducted on the two Russian-designed Generation III
reactors under construction. The report examination, carried out at the European
Commission’s request by various European experts, including experts from IRSN, led
to recommendations concerning the comprehensiveness and relevance of the tests.
These recommendations are to be incorporated by GAN in its final report, which will
be peer-reviewed in 2018.
These activities consolidate IRSN’s reputation on the international stage and demonstrate
its ability to lead from the front in a highly competitive context.

FOCUS ON...
Regional ENSTTI partner
platforms to foster international
expansion and training in
nuclear safety and radiation
protection
The European Nuclear Safety Training and Tutoring Institute (ENSTTI)
continued its expansion in 2017.
Originally set up to provide vocational training courses throughout
Europe in nuclear safety and security as well as radiation protection,
while developing a common reference basis for skills, ENSTTI now
operates throughout the world froma network of regional partner platforms. ENSTTI deploys its international catalogue in Kiev (Ukraine),
Singapore, Rabat (Morocco),
Pretoria (South Africa) and Rio(Brazil), now offering more than
50 training courses. These regional platforms have been developedin particular to run the training
and tutoring program under theEuropean Union’s Instrument for
Nuclear Safety Cooperation, withthe collaboration of the IAEA’s
regional nuclear safety networks.
I n 2 0 1 7 , a t h i r d o f E N S T T I ’s
international training program(11 courses) was run from theseregional platforms. These regional
training courses trained 165 people
from 39 non-European countries
with the support of 43 expert instructors from IRSN and other membersof the ETSON network.

INSC: EUROPEAN INITIATIVE TO BOOST NUCLEAR SAFETY
Since its creation in 2007, and prior under the 1991-2006 TACIS program, the Instrument
for Nuclear Safety Cooperation (INSC) program has enabled the European Union tocontribute to improving nuclear safety in Eastern European countries, the EU’s neighboring countries and beyond.
The Commission’s objective, through the Technical Aid to the Commonwealth of
Independent States (TACIS) and the INSC programs, has been to harmonize safety
practices by helping the safety authorities and technical safety organizations in the EU’s
neighboring countries to develop both their legislative frameworks and training. These
activities now extend to all “newcomer” countries wishing to develop nuclear activities
or to improve their inspection and control systems. Either directly or through Riskaudit,
IRSN has won many tenders within consortia and therefore regularly works on projects
proposed by the INSC.

IRSN 2030
Sharing

Strengthen European
cooperation in the fieldof research, expertiseand experience feedback

39

ACTINGTO PROTECTTHE ENVIRONMENT
Knowing and understanding what becomes of radioactive materials
in the environment, regardless of their origin, is one of IRSN’s fields of research.
This research, combined with environmental radiation monitoring activities essential
for detecting abnormalities, is vital for guaranteeing the excellence of IRSN’s expertisein the field of radiation protection for humans and ecosystems.

NEW KNOWLEDGE ABOUT TRITIUM
Tritium is produced naturally in the upper layers of the atmosphere, but is also emitted into the environment by the nuclear
industry. This radionuclide, with its low radiotoxicity and relatively short radioactive half-life (12.3 years), is present in thebiosphere mostly in the form of tritiated water. The main exposure
pathway for the public is ingestion. In light of questions about
the behaviour of tritium in the environment, its potential bioaccumulation by living organisms and the methods of assessing
the biological effects of tritium in humans, the ASN publisheda White Paper on tritium in 2010, making recommendations forthe research areas to be developed. Seven years later, IRSN has
published a survey of the progress made in research, in a report
entitled Actualisation des connaissances acquises sur le tritium
dans l’environnement (“Updating the knowledge on tritium inthe environment”).
The report is based on IRSN’s recent and on-going work on areview of the latest international publications. It discusses issues
related to the measurement of tritium, from sampling to theeffectiveness of different analysis methods, it presents the levels
measured in different environmental compartments (air, water,soil, sediment) and explains how to interpret them according toorigin/source. It also presents a review of knowledge about thephysicochemical forms of tritium, what happens to these forms
in the environment and how long they remain there, and theirtransfer to the food chain.

In 2017, IRSN published a report entitled “Updating
the knowledge on tritium in the environment”.
For example, the persistence of tritium in the environment– in its form bound to naturally occurring organic material or in its
synthetic form – is observed in all compartments of the biosphere.
Although tritium persists in its organically bound form withinterrestrial plants (prairie grasses) or in the sea (seaweed) for a few
weeks to a few months, it can remain for much longer in woody
plants and in sediments containing detrital organic matter fromthe soil (several years to several decades).

40

850

Annual Report 2017

AMORAD: LOOKING TO VALIDATE DEVELOPEDMODELS
Since 2013, IRSN has been running the ANR AMORAD project, whichaims to improve the models used to predict the dispersion and transfer of radionuclides in the continental-marine environment. A key
challenge is to reduce the uncertainty associated with the assessment of radiation exposure in order to improve the managementof the radiological impact of a nuclear accident on humans and theenvironment.
Alongside its 12 research partners, IRSN has pursued its programmeof activities by gradually entering into a phase of validating the transfer models developed and of multidimensional (scientific, socioeconomic) appraisal, both of which are necessary for decision-making.
Two years before the project comes to an end, the 4th Scientific andTechnical Committee meeting has ensured that the programme will
deliver the tools and recommendations for an integrated approachto assessing the radiological consequences of a nuclear accident, asa support for decision-making.
By 2017, AMORAD had already produced 18 scientific papers in international journals and 55 communications at conferences.

CERTYF AND KRI-TERRES
Two new projects in which IRSN is participating have been
selected as part of ANR’s second call for research projects to
win funding allocated to Andra by the PIA for the exploration
or development of innovative solutions for managing radioactive waste produced by the dismantling of nuclear facilities.
The CERTYF project will broaden understanding of theinfluence of environmental constraints (temperature, radiation, hydrogen, rock) on the resistance and ageing of several
families of optical fibres used increasingly in nuclear facilities.
Andra must set up systems to monitor the components of its
geological disposal facility throughout its long operating life
(around 100 years) and after its closure, and on this basis is
exploring various avenues of research.
KRI-TERRES will develop an innovative approach to planningahead, in the event of nuclear facility decommissioning, forthe management of soil that may have been contaminated byradioactive liquid discharged by the facility during its lifetime.

INVENTORY OF FORMER URANIUM MININGSITES: UPDATE OF MIMAUSA
IRSN has published the second version of the MIMAUSA
database (Mémoire et Impact des Mines d’urAniUm : Synthèseet Archives) that it has run since 2003 at the request of the
Ministry for Ecology’s Directorate General for the Preventionof Risks. MIMAUSA, which is available on IRSN’s website,allows anyone to find out the location and history of mining
operations, rehabilitation works and the current administrative situation of former uranium mining sites that wereoperating in France between 1950 and 2001. It thus meets thechallenges of both conserving and sharing knowledge of thestatus of these sites.
Subsequent updates have enriched the inventory, which
now contains 250 sites following the addition in 2017 of
17 mining sites in Brittany. New features have been added
to MIMAUSA, which means it is now possible to accessenvironmental reports by Orano (formerly Areva NC), IRSN
reports, administrative documents, plans and maps interactively and for all sites.
The database can be accessed at https://mimausabdd.irsn.fr

17
sites in Brittany added
to the former uranium
mines radiation
monitoring list

AMORAD project: environmental sampling campaigns in Japan
are improving the models used to predict radionuclide dispersion
and transfer in the marine and terrestrial environments.

41

Acting to protect the environment

Under the Openradiation scheme,
any member of the public witha sensor and a smartphone can takemeasurements of radioactivity
in the environment.

OPENRADIATIONIRSN has launched a collaborative science initiative that is helping to promote direct
dialogue between civil society and researchers and experts. As part of its Openradiation
project, in partnership with the French Institute for Training in Major Risks and Environmental Protection, the “FabLab” at the Sorbonne Universities and Planète Sciences,
IRSN is offering all members of the public the opportunity to take measurements of environmental radioactivity using a smartphone app, and to upload the data onto a website
specially set up for that purpose. Various sensor technologies can be connected to thesmartphone. Meanwhile, the project has developed a proposal for sensor technologythat is also available in kit form for educational use.
The project has two aims. Under normal circumstances, it enables members of the public
to get involved in measuring radioactivity in a collaborative, educational or informative
context. In an emergency, it gives members of the public the opportunity to contribute to
the supply of data that can be used to assess a radiological situation, by taking real-timemeasurements on the ground.
All of the data on the website, which was opened to the public during the 2017 Science
Fair, is available to view and download.

434
monitors (including 393 stationary
Teleray monitors, 30 mobile monitors
and 7 river monitors, making up thenational remote monitoring network)474
sampling points for radioactivity
monitoring throughout France

130
ambient dose rate measurement points

In brief
4th ICRER conference
IRSN and the NRPA jointly organized the 4th International Conference on Radioecology and Environmental Radioactivity (ICRER 2017) in Berlin, with the support of the European radiation protection
research platforms, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the International Union of Radioecology. Nearly 300 scientists, industry representatives, regulators and experts came together for a week todiscuss nine topics designed to stimulate development of the knowledge, methods and tools necessary
to achieve advances in human and environmental radiation protection.

4,315
environmental samples taken forradiological measurements

Cooperation with Singapore
Under their cooperation agreement signed in 2015, IRSN and the Singapore Nuclear Research and
Safety Initiative jointly organized in Singapore, through ENSTTI, a high-level training conference on
the multidisciplinary theme of monitoring radioactivity in the environment, for 20 regional engineers
and researchers. The Initiative aims to become the Asian center of excellence for nuclear safety andradiation protection training and assessment.

IRSN 2030
IndependenceContinue to guarantee impartial
expert assessments relating tooverall risk management

42Annual Report 2017

PLAYINGAN ACTIVE ROLE
IN PUBLIC HEALTH
As part of its radiation protection duties, IRSN divides its action to protect the public,
workers and patients into three areas: monitoring, assessment and research. It thus
plays a role in public health through its work on radiological risks, for which it takes
a multidisciplinary approach and which is the subject of national, European andinternational collaboration.

RADON: FIRST REPORTON THE HAUTE-VIENNE PILOT PROGRAM
Radon is a radioactive gas. Preventing the risks associated with its
presence in homes is a public health issue which IRSN is helping
to resolve, both by supporting national government as part of the
2016-2019 National Radon Action Plan and alongside local players.
This is reflected in the innovative pilot program, “Radon, let’s takeup the challenge, let’s have a change of air”, run by IRSN over a
two-year period with 15 local councils in Haute-Vienne.
Phase 1 of the program (from December 2015 to June 2016)saw 729 local volunteers measuring radon levels in their homes
using a kit provided by IRSN. In more than 70% of homes, thereference level of 300 Bq/m³ – above which action is recommended according to EU Directive 2013/59 – was exceeded.
During phase 2 (June 2016 - March 2017), the Felletin construction industry vocational college and partners in the program
offered to help residents who were interested in taking remedial action. 300 residents attended one of the four information meetings, and around a hundred took part in one of the
11 workshops held to look at the solutions that could be implemented.

Phase 3 (July - December 2017) consisted in checking the work
done in 104 homes to ensure its effectiveness and, where appropriate, specifying additional work that could reduce radonlevels further still.

IRSN contributes to radon risk prevention both insupport of the national authorities and alongside
local players.
This program adds to the experience gained by IRSN throughother local actions to raise public awareness and to improveunderstanding of the problem of radon in buildings and manage
the risks associated with it.
It illustrates two inseparable and vitally important issues for the
implementation of a policy on radon at a local level:t he role of measurements taken by volunteers in identifying risk
levels and raising public awareness;t he ability of members of the public to take action on the basisof the results, through information-sharing and dialogue atevery stage up to remediation.

In risk prevention, IRSN ran an innovative
pilot program, “Radon: let’s take up
the challenge, let’s have a change of air”,
over a two-year period with15 communities in Haute-Vienne.

43Playing an active role in public health

RADIATION PROTECTION:IRSN BRINGS THE INTERNATIONALSCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY
TOGETHER IN PARISIRSN organized and hosted two major events in Paris for allradiation protection professionals, experts and researchers:
the International Commission on Radiation Protection (IRCP)’s
4th International Symposium on the System of Radiological Protection, and the 2nd European Radiation Protection Research Week,
initiated by the European research platforms.
For nearly 90 years, the ICRP has been developing and improving
radiation protection recommendations and practices, which help
to protect patients, workers, the public and the environment.
Meanwhile, European research platforms conduct research andaddress the technical and organizational aspects of radiation
protection: MELODI (low doses), EURADOS (dosimetry), NERIS(emergencies and prevention), ALLIANCE (radioecology) andEURAMED (radiation protection in medicine).
This international event opened by OPECST (the French parliamentary office for the evaluation of scientific and technological choices) was attended by more than 540 participants andconsisted in seven sessions on: the effects, risks and detriment at
low dose and low dose rates; advances in dose coefficients; innovative radiotherapy techniques; post-accident recovery; integrated
protection of people and the environment; recent scientific progress in radiobiology and radiopathology, epidemiology, dosimetry, radioecology, medical applications of ionizing radiation,
preparation for emergency situations and emergency response;
strategic research agendas (SRAs) and the associated European
roadmaps.
This unique opportunity to share their points of view on the current challenges in different areas of radiation protection, as well as
on avenues for new research, the updating of policies and betterinteraction between stakeholders was greatly appreciated by all.

REPORT ON 50 YEARS OF EPIDEMIOLOGICALMONITORING OF NUCLEAR WORKERS
The carcinogenic effect of ionizing radiation is now well established in the case of moderate to high doses, i.e. doses above
100 millisieverts (mSv). An increase in the number of cancers in
populations exposed to these dose rates has been observed inmany epidemiological studies, in particular on the survivors of
the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, on radiotherapy
patients and on radiologists.
In the 1980s, IRSN set up cohorts of workers covering all stages
in the French nuclear power production cycle. The aim of these
epidemiological studies was primarily to analyse the potential
risks associated with chronic radiation exposure, through external irradiation or internal contamination, in a context of multiple
exposure that was common among workers (radiological exposure as well as chemical and physical exposure with stressors,
such as noise and heat, and working conditions, such as shiftwork). In addition to the scientific objective of increasing understanding, these epidemiological studies aimed to provide support
for radiation protection assessment in both occupational healthand public health contexts by performing health checks on the
populations and companies being monitored.
The results of IRSN’s research and the contribution they havemade to international studies are presented in a report available on IRSN's website. These results are of direct importance inconfirming the hypotheses underpinning the current radiation
protection system.
As part of this, IRSN is monitoring five main cohorts which, alongwith the workers currently being added, represent 90,000 workers in industry and research and all stages of nuclear power
production.
A national cohort of nuclear workers formed by the mergerof two cohorts is being monitored for external exposure (CEA/
AREVA*/EDF cohort). The study focuses on workers monitored
for external exposure. This cohort consists of workers in the
CEA/AREVA NC * group and workers at EDF’s nuclear power
plants.
Three other cohort studies focus on populations of workers
potentially exposed to internal contamination: uranium miners,
workers at uranium ore processing and concentration plants(F-Millers cohort) and workers in the uranium cycle (TRACY
cohort).

727
whole-body radiation counts
performed for worker monitoring,
including 474 using mobile equipment

IRSN organized and simultaneously hosted two major events in Parisfor radiation protection professionals, experts and researchers: the FourthInternational Symposium on the System of Radiological Protectionof the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP)
and the Second European Radiological Protection Research Week set upby the European research platforms.

44

Annual Report 2017

With the CEA/AREVA */EDF cohort, IRSN has also participated in the international
INWORKS study (International Nuclear WORKers Study), coordinated over the last few
years by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). This study uses themost informative cohorts of the 15-country study carried out in the 2000s: the French,
American and British cohorts of nuclear workers amounting to a total population of
308,000 workers with an average monitoring period of over 27 years.

+ REPORT ON OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE
TO IONIZING RADIATIONThe results confirm the steady increase in the number of workers monitored
and the stability of average individual exposure in the last five years:

393,293
workers monitored in 2016

0.17

1

millisieverts on averagein individual external
exposure

recorded case where
the regulatory limitof 20 mSv was exceeded

FOCUS ON…
Transposition of council
directive 2013/59/Euratom

Over three years, IRSN made anactive contribution to the regulatory work in transposing the European directive of 5 December 2013
laying down basic safety standards for radiation protection into
French law. Transposition shouldtake place in early 2018.
In 2017, IRSN provided support to
the DGT (the French Directorate
General for Labour) in preparing
the decree amending the French
Labour Code. Most notably, it was
consulted on the procedures formonitoring workers in a radiological emergency. The final versionof the draft decree was submitted
to the French Council of State for
examination on 7 November, sothat it could be published jointlywith the decree amending France’s
Public Health Code, to which IRSN
also contributed.
The three main thrusts of the draft
decree, as far as “workers” areconcerned, take account of feedback related to current regulations.
They aim to:improve the effectiveness of risk

+ EXPOSURE BY SECTOR
The size of the workforce in the various sectors remains stable or has
increased slightly overall:

prevention measures for workers;e nsure an integrated approach

to all occupational risks;s tep up the requirements taking

0.24 mSv

0.30 mSv

flight personnel subject
to cosmic radiation

0.33 mSv

non-nuclear industry workers
2.05 mSv
1.15 mSv

nuclear industry workers
medical and veterinary workers

account of the type and scaleof the risk, and allow greater
flexibility for medium-sized,
small and very small companies.
IRSN will also participate in the
preparation of the orders applying
the decree.

workers in research and education
1.36 mSv

other workers

IRSN monitors occupational exposure to ionizing radiation as part of its activities
of continuous radiation protection monitoring and support for the public authorities.
The 2016 report covers all sectors of activity subject to the licensing or declaration
regime, as well as workers exposed to technologically enhanced naturally occurring
radioactivity.

IRSN 2030
ExcellenceManage knowledge and use data
within a digital environment* known as Orano from February 2018.

45

Playing an active role in public health

IRSN’s dosimetry laboratory monitoredaround 169,000 workers in France in 2017.

CHARACTERIZING OLD RADIOACTIVE SOURCES
AT A UNIVERSITY
The disposal of old radioactive sources is a problem faced by many
parts of civil society (universities, industry, etc.). IRSN’s expertisein working in contaminated and irradiated environments meansthat it can respond safely to the need to characterize these sources
before they are collected by a third party.
In 2017, IRSN implemented a protocol for identifying and characterizing 42 sources on a university campus in western France.
A multidisciplinary team ensured both their own safety and thatof the publicly accessible site, took radiation measurements,
and conditioned the sources as required. When they had finished,
the university was able to start recovering its sources.

1,250,000
analyses of French workers’
dosimeters carried out by IRSN
in 2017

46

DOSIMETRY SERVICES
In 2017 IRSN’s dosimetry laboratory performed dosimetry monitoring on around 169,000 workers in metropolitan France andits overseas territories, for 24,000 companies in various sectors.
This represents a total of more than 1.25 million analyses of passive dosimeters.
Committed to its clients, the laboratory maintains a direct dialogue with both the radiation protection specialists at the clients’sites, who advise employers on radiation protection for workers,
and the occupational physicians responsible for monitoring theworkers’ health.
In 2017, there was an increase in the use of the laboratory’s customer portal, which has been continually developed since 2015.
More than 7,000 users now use the portal for secure online accessto dosimetry results, in compliance with current regulations.
The portal’s many functions facilitate the logistical managementof dosimetry and statistical analysis of the results. It also allows
communication to take place largely by electronic means.
During the year, IRSN also organized nearly 17 visitor days for
professionals and students, at its laboratories, including the dosimetry laboratory and the radiotoxicological medical analysis
laboratory, which have relocated to a new building on the Vésinet
site (Yvelines). The site is the only technical platform of its kind inEurope. These visitor days provided an opportunity for valuable
discussions, with IRSN constantly looking to increase the effectiveness of the support it provides to its clients.

Annual Report 2017

PREPARING FOR EMERGENCIESAND POST-ACCIDENTMANAGMENTIn case of an incident or accident, IRSN is responsible for putting forward proposals tothe safety authorities on technical, health and medical measures to protect the public
and the environment in the area concerned and for supporting the public authorities.
IRSN's teams prepare for this mainly through participating in national
and international exercises.

PARTICIPATION IN CODIRPA’S WORKIRSN is a member of several working groups of CODIRPA, theSteering Committee for the management of the post-accident
phase of a nuclear accident or radiological emergency, which isrun by the ASN. The work being done by these groups ties in withthe roadmap set out in the national emergency response plan for
major nuclear or radiological accidents.

In 2017, CODIRPA began a major discussion
process lasting several years on the changes
to be made to post-accident management policy.

Finally, in 2017, CODIRPA began a major, multi-year discussion
process on the changes to be made to post-accident management
policy, as part of the lessons to be learned from the Fukushima
accident. In early 2018, IRSN proposed changes to the postaccident management policy published in 2012.
These changes take into account the lessons learned from the
Fukushima accident, particularly as a result of international
research and simulations run during exercises.
Experience shows that these post-accident measures can havea major human, economic and financial impact. It also shows thatthey need to be defined and implemented in advance.
The proposed changes aim to:

In 2017, IRSN submitted a number of contributions, including: report on waste management during the post-accident phase.
aThis contribution is part of the preparation of policies andstrategies governing action to reduce contamination in theaffected areas and to reduce the amount of waste generated;r esponses to questions arising from the “Stakeholder involvement” group for health professionals responsible for working
with the population affected by a nuclear accident;c oordinate emergency and post-accident phases more effectively;r educe the complexity induced by overlapping zoning systems,
namely exclusion zones, population protection zones, and zones
under control of foodstuffs;
 ake the most of advances in technology applicable to modm
eling, simulation and rapid measurement of contamination.

 dvice on the management of “non-food commodities”, suchaas timber, construction materials and linen.

8
meetings involving
IRSN as part of
CODIRPA’s workon post-accident
management

IRSN takes part each year in national
and international emergency response
exercises, and the teams from its mobile unit
can be mobilized for these exercises,
e.g. for the exercise on the Framatome sitein Romans-sur-Isère in October 2017.

47

Preparing for emergencies and post‑accident managment

FIRST AGORAS CONFERENCE
As part of research undertaken in the wake of the Fukushima
accident, IRSN held the first conference of the AGORAS projecton improving the governance of nuclear safety organizations andnetworks in Paris. This event, which was opened by IRSN’s Director General, brought together academics, industry representatives
and institutions to discuss the question: How is an institutionalbalance established and how does it develop between the variousorganizations involved in preventing nuclear accidents and inmanaging it, should one occur?

In particular, the conference looked at how
realistic emergency response exercises are
and how effective they are in preparing
for unexpected situations.
The conference encouraged debate on the knowledge developed
and how well this is taken onboard by the different communities
and stakeholders concerned, such as those involved in operations
or researchers. In particular, the conference looked at how realistic emergency response exercises are, and how effective they
are in preparing for unexpected situations; and at the role of thetools used to regulate nuclear risks, especially the importancegiven to two-way dialogue with the public. Its conclusions underlined the value of understanding the mechanisms of cooperation
between organizations for improving accident prevention andbetter preparing for emergency response and post-accident situation management.

SHAMISEN: 28 RECOMMENDATIONSFOR BETTER PROTECTING THE PUBLIC
IRSN was a member of the European SHAMISEN project (Nuclear
Emergency Situations, Improvement of Medical and Health Surveillance, OPERRA 2015-2017, FP7 - grant agreement 604984),
a project in which its experts made contributions in the fieldsof dosimetry, epidemiology and openness to society. The programdrew up 28 recommendations based on lessons learned from the
Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents. In a post-accident situation,
this roadmap aims to improve the living conditions and medical
and health monitoring of populations affected by a nuclear accident by taking into account the social, economic and psychological effects of such an accident. It underlines the importance oftaking account of the wellbeing of affected populations, theirinvolvement in managing a radiological accident and respect for
their independence and dignity.

The approach aims in particular to reduce uncertainties related
to dose assessment in humans and wildlife, and to involve all
stakeholders in decision-making processes. IRSN is also a contributor to the CONFIDENCE project involving 31 partner organizations, which aims to improve the decision support systems used inmanaging nuclear emergencies in order to protect the populationsof the affected areas and cause as little disruption as possible totheir living conditions.

In brief
Emergency response exercise in Hong Kong
IRSN assisted the Hong Kong government with preparing and running the“Checkerboard II” exercise simulating a severe accident at the Daya Bay
nuclear power plant. This type of exercise is held every 5 years. A variety ofpeople were involved in this major exercise, including experts, figures fromindustry, and members of Hong Kong’s government, making a total of nearly
1,000 participants. It took place in Hong Kong on December 20 - 21. As partof a government contract, IRSN designed the technical scenario for the exercise, and experts from IRSN ran the exercise in situ over the two-day period.
The exercise was rounded off with a symposium on nuclear energy held on
December 22 at the University of Hong Kong, in which IRSN was involved.

2

6

national nuclear
emergency
exercises involving
defense-related
facilities

national nuclear
emergency
exercises
excludingdefense-related
activities

LAUNCH OF THE EUROPEAN “TERRITORIES”
AND “CONFIDENCE” PROJECTSIRSN is involved in two of the three projects selected under the
first call for projects for CONCERT, the joint European program
for the integration of radiation protection research. IRSN is thelead for the TERRITORIES project involving 11 partners overthree years. It aims to build an integrated and graded method for
managing the risks related to long-term exposure in contaminatedareas, after a nuclear accident or in a context of enhanced naturalradioactivity.

48

IRSN took part in the preparation and runningby the Hong Kong government of an exercise
simulating a severe accident at the Daya Bay
nuclear power plant.

Annual Report 2017

FIRST PROJECT DELIVERABLESIRSN has been coordinating the European FAST Nuclear
Emergency Tools, or FASTNET, project since the end of 2015, for a
four-year term. The project involves 20 partners from 18 countries,
with the IAEA acting as a third party.
The aim of the project is to more reliably predict the progression of asevere accident and to anticipate the source term of a nuclear accident.
It uses the partners’ work as the basis for extending the capabilitiesof methods and tools of atmospheric release prediction in accidents
to all types of power reactor in Europe as well as to a generic spent
fuel pool concept.
Three of the four main project deliverables are currently being
developed: a database of accident scenarios, a standard set of reference tools qualified for diagnosis and prognosis, and improved
innovative probabilistic tools. The final deliverable involves developing methodological guidance applicable to the “Severe accident
management guidelines”.

INTER-LABORATORY COMPARISON EXERCISES
In 2017, IRSN took part in several radioactivity measurement comparison exercises with two objectives: to validate the metrologicalquality of its own atmospheric radiation measurement system andto work on system interoperability to improve cooperation between
different countries in the event of a radiological emergency.

FOCUS ON...
International conferences
In 2017, IRSN experts spoke at anumber of international conferenceson emergency response management:the annual workshop of the
NERIS platform, dedicated topost-accident research coordination, held in Lisbon in May; the Radiation Protection Week, held
jointly with the ICRP symposiumin Marne-La-Vallée in October;the IAEA workshop held in Vienna
in October. IRSN chaired thisconference, which was organized
to prepare a guide to “emergency
preparedness and response” forthe transportation of radioactive
materials.

Feedback from the atmospheric measurement comparison exercise conducted in February with the US Department of Energy(DOE) at the Nevada Test Site validated the metrological qualities
of IRSN's airborne measuring system ULYSSE, which complements its ground-based systems, namely Marcassin and Téléray.
Under the PRINCESS project, IRSN is preparing to run an international inter-laboratory comparison exercise with the DOE
in 2018 on criticality accident dosimetry, to develop special“criticality” dosimeters.
 o produce dosimetry benchmarks for the exercise, in May
T
IRSN took part in characterizing the radiation field emitted by
the FLAT-TOP reactor at the Nevada Test Site. The international
atmospheric radiation measuring exercise, ARM-17, organizedin June by the Swiss Federal Office for Civil Protection (FOCP)
over an area of 3,000 km², enabled the team from IRSN to successfully implement recent developments and improvements to
the ULYSSE system, in particular the rapid production of maps
and the real-time transmission of data to IRSN’s back-office.

IRSN 2030
Expectations

Broaden its capacity to cover
all kinds of emergencies

I RSN produced the scenario for an international exercise tomeasure accidental contamination of the environment, held inJapan by the IAEA, in the context of its Response and Assistance
Network (RANET). Teams from Australia, China, France (IRSN),
Germany, Japan, Ukraine and the USA took part in the exercise.
It was designed to test the involvement and coordination of international measurement teams providing assistance to a country
affected by a nuclear accident.

Airborne radiological measurement inter-comparison
exercise organized by the Swiss Federal Office for
Civil Protection (FOCP) in June 2017.

49

INFORMING
SOCIETY
OF THE RISKSIn accordance with its decree, IRSN is pursuing its voluntary commitment totransparency and stepping up its communication effort both by providing educational
materials and by diversifying the methods it uses to convey information to the generalpublic.

“RADIATION PROTECTION IN QUESTION”
WEBSITE
As part of its duty to provide training, information and education to the public on nuclear
and radiological risks, IRSN has added the final touches to an educational website entirely
dedicated to the subject of radiation protection. This “Wikipedia” of radiation protection
will be launched in early 2018. Although primarily aimed at students, health professionals
and industries concerned with radiation protection, it is also there to answer questions
from the general public. It provides key information on all topics of interest to theseaudiences in a simple and concise way. The information is split into themes: the basicsof radiation protection, history and organizations, regulation, radiation protection ofpatients, workers and the public, the physics of radiation, radiobiology and radiopathology. Internet users will also find information on the website about the key concepts ofradiation, regulatory standards, scientific and technical concepts, recommendations on
best practices and the results of the latest research, as well as links to factsheets, bibliographies and documents providing further information on particular topics. They can be
kept up to date on the latest news through a special blog accompanied by audio podcastsof discussions between radiation protection professionals and experts.

TENTH INTERNATIONAL RADIATION PROTECTION WORKSHOPIN SCHOOLS
150 high school pupils and their teachers from Belarus, Colombia, France, Germany,
Japan, Moldova and Ukraine met at INSTN in Paris to share the work they had done
during the year at workshops run by their teachers with the support of radiation protection experts. This 10th edition of the event, organized by IRSN, the ASN, CEA-INSTN,
CEPN, the Pavillon des Sciences de Franche-Comté and SFRP gave them the opportunity
to visit facilities including IRSN’s SOFIA simulator, which specializes in reactor operationin normal and accident situations.

SCIENCE FAIR AND TOURING EXHIBITIONSIRSN chose the 2017 Science Fair to present a preview of its collaborative science initiative, Open Radiation, at the Cité des Sciences de la Villette in Paris. Openradiation is an
initiative enabling members of the public to share their own radioactivity measurements
online (see the Openradiation article on page 42).
IRSN was also out and about in different regions, running workshops at the Science
Villages in Aix-en-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône), Vinon-sur-Verdun (Var) andNoirmoutier (Vendée) and offering schools and the general public the chance to see
experiments on various topics such as fire risks in industrial environments, the simulationof an accident at a nuclear reactor, radioactive releases in the event of a nuclear accident
and risks to the environment. In Poissy (Yvelines), IRSN presented an exhibition onradioactivity and multimedia games, including a simulation of the dose received during
medical imaging examinations.

50

IRSN took part in the Poissy Science
Fair, presenting its exhibition
on radioactivity and somemultimedia games.

Annual Report 2017

SUCCESS OF THE ASN/IRSN TOURING
EXHIBITION
The purpose of the joint ASN/IRSN exhibition, “Radioactivity:
Hundreds of Questions, One Exhibition”, is to raise public awareness of the risks associated with natural and artificial radioactivity.
It is reaching a growing number of school pupils throughout
France and has prompted various educational initiatives. This
year it visited around thirty secondary schools. It was also set
up in the hall of the education authority headquarters in Dijon,
and IRSN presented it in partnership with Morvan Nature Parkin Saint-Brisson (Nièvre) during a local clubs and associations
fair. Two secondary schools used the exhibition as the basis for a
project for their pupils, as part of a supervised independent study(TPE) initiative, to set up measuring equipment to take radioactivity measurements for sharing on a citizens’ map. Five othersecondary schools used it to find out more about radon prior to aparticipative science initiative: with equipment loaned by IRSN,
the pupils took measurements in their homes and presented theresults to the public.

In brief
Mayors’ Fair
IRSN had a joint stand with the ASN at the Salon des Maires Mayors’ Fair,
held in November at the Paris Exhibition Centre, to inform elected representatives and the general public about safety and radiation protection
monitoring and assessment in France.

PRESS TRIP ON DECOMMISSIONING
Several nuclear reactors are currently being decommissioned inEurope, namely in France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania and the UK.
In France, decommissioning activity could increase if nuclear
reactors are scheduled for final shutdown in the coming decades.
This raises nuclear safety and radiation protection issues, andpresents technical challenges related to the dismantling process
and society’s involvement in it. IRSN organized a “European tourof PWR reactor decommissioning” to inform the media about
the issue and share its expertise on safety in this field. Arounda dozen journalists – from press agencies, regional and national
newspapers, radio stations and specialist magazines – took partin the trip, which took them from Italy’s Garigliano power plant
to the Chooz power plant in the Ardennes region, via Greifswald,in former East Germany. During the visits, they were able tomeet the facility operators, SOGIN, EDF and EWN, as well as
representatives from the Italian safety authority (ISPRA) and theGerman scientific and technical research and assessment organization (GRS).

70
articles were published
as a result of the press tripon the decommissioningof PWR reactors in Europe

FOCUS ON...
The top ten most viewed itemson IRSN's website in 2017
1. Environment Factfile on “Radon”
2. “The Chernobyl accident (Ukraine 1986)”
Safety Factfile
3. “Understanding the basics ofradioactivity” Nuclear and Society
Factfile
4. “Detection of traces of radioactive iodine
in Europe in January 2017” News article
5. “Radioactivity and its effects onhumans” Health Factfile
6. “Seismic risk and nuclear facilities”
Safety Factfile
7. “The Fukushima-Daiichi accident (Japan2011)” Safety Factfile
8. “Detection of Ruthenium-106 in
France and Europe: results of IRSN’s
investigations” News article
9. “Radiotherapy” Health Factfile
10. “Radiation protection for workers”
Health Factfile51

MODERNIZINGAND IMPROVINGEFFICIENCYECONOMIC PERFORMANCE:A POLICY OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTIRSN is keen to boost its economic performance by improving the performance of its commercial activities,
but also by controlling its spending and optimizing its real estate costs.

BETTER-PERFORMINGCOMMERCIAL ACTIVITIESIn 2017, IRSN’s commercial services grew by 8.5% overall, andmore specifically within the dosimetry and international services
business units (see the section on international cooperation).
This growth was accompanied by a restructuring of IRSN’s radiation protection activities, grouping together dosimetry and radiotoxicological analysis services and the related administrative
activities.
The improved performance of its commercial activities is also
due to the implementation of computerized invoicing within the
public sector and the use of direct debit, which is currently being
deployed.

JOINT PROCUREMENT
In the area of procurement, action is taken to control growthin expenditure, particularly by developing the number of joint
procurement agreements with other public bodies. This means
that, in addition to joint contracts with CEA, IRSN has also started
to cooperate with CNRS, UGAP, and public organizations in general. An agreement was signed in October 2017 with the central
purchasing unit at CNRS, for scientific instrumentation and IT
equipment to begin with.
At the end of the first year in which IRSN has been subject to
the French public procurement code, 161 consultation procedures have been launched, 281 orders have been created – 23of which have been put before the contract advisory committee –and 26.8% of orders have been placed on the basis of frameworkagreements.

52

Annual Report 2017

OPTIMIZING REAL ESTATE COSTS
As part of the process of updating its long-term property strategy for the 2017-2022
period, in accordance with the government’s real estate policy objectives, IRSN has begun
an analysis of its property portfolio and of the human and financial resources dedicatedto property, as well as two studies, one looking at the future of Buildings 02 and 44-23
on the Fontenay-aux-Roses site, and the other looking at optimizing its facilities on the
Cadarache site. The aim of this work is to develop a strategy for the maintenance andrenovation of IRSN’s buildings in order to modernize them, reduce their running costs
and make more efficient use of their facilities.

In brief
Computerized invoicing
Since January 1, 2017, IRSN’s suppliers have been able to submit their invoices electronically via Chorus
Pro, a shared, secure and free IT tool developed by the French government as part of its modernizationof the public sector, in order to speed up invoice processing times. The use of Chorus Pro will become
mandatory in 2020 for all invoices submitted to public bodies.
Direct debit
To improve the efficiency of its revenue collection processes, IRSN has set up a direct debit system,
particularly for its dosimetry billing. The first test was approved in late 2017.

FOCUS ON...
Launch of the digitalarchiving projectIn 2017 IRSN launched its electronic archiving project known
as ARCHE. The aim is to manage
digitally the documents producedby all processes used in the context
of IRSN’s activities. An electronicarchive would store and allow
retrieval of these documents
while guaranteeing their authenticity, integrity and preservation
throughout the storage period.
The project began with the development of the first prototype
for managing electronic invoices
issued and received via the national Chorus Pro portal. This firststage will be used test whether the
probative value of these invoices
is well enough protected to meet
accountancy-related legal obligations.

IRSN 2030
Sharing

Develop synergies
within the Institute

IRSN began a review of its property as partof the updating of its 2017-2022 Multiyear
Property Master Plan and some studies
looking at the future of two buildings
at Fontenay-aux-Roses.

53Modernizing and improving efficiency

SOCIAL LIFE: AN INITIATIVEFOR THE COLLECTIVE BENEFIT
OF PERSONNEL

FOCUS ON...
Preparing a new agreementon the employment of people
with disabilities

In line with its voluntary policy of
welcoming employees with disabilities, IRSN has taken advantageof the renewal of its agreement on
the subject to propose initiatives todevelop the resources of its disabilities mission.

Because organization and working conditions play a central role in
IRSN’s overall performance, it works to maintain an atmosphere conducive to dialogue with employees and good employee relations.

PREPARING AN AGREEMENTON QUALITY OF LIFE
IN THE WORKPLACE

It has suggested to the unions thata network of local representatives
should be called upon to promote
and implement its policy more
effectively across all sites. It aims
to increase efforts to recruit people
with disabilities on permanent andfixed-term contracts by increasing
direct employment rates and, inthe case of temporary employment, by agreeing to negotiate
higher management costs withtemporary employment agencies,
enabling them to conduct moretargeted searches in view of ourpractices. Lastly, it has proposed
measures to support employeeswith disabilities and their teams
in order to help them to integrate
more successfully and support
them throughout their career. The
most recent negotiation meetings
should enable a draft to be submitted in early 2018.

The 2014 agreement on quality of life in the workplace and preventing
occupational stress is about to expire, so discussions were held on
IRSN’s policy on quality of life in the workplace, taking a participative
approach that included staff representatives. To do this, three working
groups representing IRSN staff were formed to discuss the topics ofequality, wellbeing and balance. The groups came together a numberof times between September and December and made suggestions
on equality in the workplace, the work-life balance, stress prevention
and workplace organization. These suggestions will be incorporated
into the draft agreement, due to be negotiated in the first half of 2018.

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
In 2017, six agreements were negotiated and signed: an agreement on
the 2017-2019 cross-generation contract; an agreement on the timetable for informing and consulting staff representative bodies and on
monitoring the restructuring of the Radiation Protection, Environment,
Waste and Emergency Management Unit; a memorandum of understanding on the mandatory annual pay bargaining for 2017, the firstsince 2010; a pre-election memorandum of understanding on the 20172020 works committee and staff delegate elections; an agreement on thestaff representative bodies; and a 2017-2019 profit-sharing agreement.
Other negotiations were undertaken in parallel, on updating provisions
related to the careers of staff representatives and how negotiations
are organized (amendment to the union rights agreement), and on the
inclusion and safeguarding of jobs for people with disabilities (a new
agreement for 2018-2020).

UPGRADING SUPPORT AND FUNCTIONAL SERVICES
AT IRSN
Discussions were initiated in late 2017 with the aim of making IRSN
operation more streamlined and efficient and adapting the structuresand organizations within it to contribute to an improvement in its
overall performance. They review the support and functional services
at IRSN and their interfaces, including with the Institute’s internal
governance. This work, composed of three stages and involving over
250 employees, is being carried out in a spirit of openness and willcontinue into 2018.

54

72.48%

participation rate in the staff
representative elections held in 2017,
producing the following results:

41.15%
CGT

23.70%
CGC

35.14%CFDT

Annual Report 2017

IN-HOUSE UNIVERSITY
The in-house university (Ui) supports employees’ skill and careerdevelopment.

The UI serves the aim of promoting, sharing andtransferring IRSN’s knowledge and expertise anddeveloping individual and collective skills.
The in-house university is open to all employees and offers tailored, internal training courses, including on job-specific skills
and on the specific culture and working methods of IRSN.
It serves the aim of promoting, sharing and transferring IRSN’s
knowledge and expertise and developing individual and collective skills. Its operating and development depend primarily on abody of teaching staff who are IRSN employees and a collective
approach in which everyone contributes, combined with innovative teaching methods. The Ui thus helps to share internally theunderstanding developed by IRSN, in order to meet current andfuture scientific and technical challenges more effectively. It also
plays a part in driving efficiency by valorizing in-house knowledge
and redeploying it internally.
The assessment module offers training courses for IRSN assessment activities. Its modular structure – composed of five levels of
training courses – enables training programs to be developed for
those responsible for carrying out IRSN’s assessments of nuclear
and radiological risk management.

The emergency response module designs and runs training
courses to train all IRSN employees in emergency response management, as well as courses for developing and maintaining theskills of emergency response team members. 57 training sessions
were held in 2017, for 393 participants.
IRSN’s strategy and management module aims to publicize andshare IRSN’s strategy, to strengthen its management culture andto meet the challenges of communication and openness to society.
New training courses were designed in 2017 so that a more comprehensive range could be offered from 2018, including strategy& governance and the challenges of communication at IRSN, in
addition to the awareness days organized on openness to society.
The newly renamed operational support module aims to integrate
the operating and support units into IRSN’s activities more effectively in order to make IRSN more efficient, more reliable andeasier to run. Emphasis is placed on designing training courses on
the “tools” available to managers, the expenditure chain at IRSN
and the legal issues associated with IRSN’s activities. Existingcourses were revised in 2017 to make them more interactive andpractical, to ensure a more thorough learning process and skills
that are easier to apply in work situations. The employer-delivered
courses on radiation protection and quality management were justtwo of these revisited programs.
Investing in the Ui today also means training more employees incore job skills by optimizing the resources assigned to continuing
professional training. In-house training has grown steadily andin 2017 represented 34% of the total training hours and 43%
of total attendance.

FOCUS ON...
Strategic refocusing of training

Training, which is part of IRSN’srole, is an important method of
conveying safety and radiation
protection culture. Externally,
this is reflected in its contribution
to initial and continual training
courses. In the interests of efficiency and optimizing requests
for IRSN experts to contribute totraining courses, and to support
the growth of its in-house university, the Institute is pursuing a targeted policy concerning the choiceof the external teaching programs
in which its experts are involved.

In 2017, 24 training sessions were held for
195 participants, and two new courses were
taught, namely on containment and humanand organizational aspects.

57
emergency responsemanagement training
sessions were held in 2017

In the case of continuing training, it prioritizes courses run by
ENSTTI under the IRSN nameand those run in the context of its
partnership with INSTN. In 2017,
continuing training courses inradiation protection for professionals – both outside and inside
IRSN – were adapted to the new
regulatory frameworks.

55

Modernizing and improving efficiency

AN INNOVATIVE WORK CONTEXTSITE SECURITY UPGRADES

By modernizing its buildings and IT equipment, and improving
their security, IRSN is developing the technical environment
it requires to face future challenges.

Like IRSN’s IT systems, the systems used to monitor and protect the sites accommodating its personnel and equipment were
upgraded in 2017 to keep them operational and reinforce theirprotection against risks. Design and organizational changes werealso applied in response to changes in regulations in this field.

REVISION OF THE IT SYSTEMS SECURITY POLICY
To take account of changes to regulations on IT security, theneed to exchange data with IRSN’s external partners and theglobal context in terms of cybercrime, in 2017 IRSN revised its IT
systems security policy, which covers all of its computer resources(software, hardware, networks, messaging services, servers,
workstations, backup equipment, IT security features, etc.) andthe data they contain.
IRSN drew up an exhaustive chart of its IT systems and laid thefoundations of an IT continuity plan, which should be rolled out
in 2018.

At Fontenay-aux-Roses, building 01 delivered in 2017 meets strict criteria
for energy efficiency, functionality and comfort.
It has “NF Tertiary Building” certification.

56

Annual Report 2017

AN EXEMPLARY BUILDINGAT FONTENAY-AUX-ROSES
Building 01, which was delivered in July 2017, meets strict criteria
in terms of energy efficiency, functionality and comfort. It is certified
to “NF commercial building” standards, with a 30% cut in energy
consumption, in line with French building regulations from 2012.
The building houses a 250-seat auditorium, IRSN’s emergency
response center, which has been modernized and reorganized toaccommodate all the units necessary to run operations in an emergency, and IRSN’s new DATA Center. The data center is classed
as Tier III, and its operational security is unparalleled among thefacilities.
The eco-design of the building is based on three concepts:
 nticipating the needs of future users and how they will changeaover time;selecting innovative and efficient heating and ventilation systems;
and opting for low-impact technical solutions for water management.
At all key stages of the project, the building’s future users wereinvolved in defining requirements and choosing the solutions tomeet them.

-39%
fewer reams of paper per staff
member bought since 2009-57%
cut in the CO2 emissions of vehicles
bought or leased between 2009 and2016

FOCUS ON...
Corporate social andenvironmental responsibility
In 2008, IRSN launched a sustainable
development initiative which, since2010, has led to the development
and implementation of a sustainable
development policy, focusing on
4 main areas:
protecting the environment andcontrolling risks;
maintaining a high level of social
commitment; developing responsible procurement and sales;s trengthening links with stakeholders.
In 2017, a review of this policy was
carried out with the involvement of
IRSN’s network of sustainable development representatives. A series of
proposals was drawn up, which will
be examined in 2018, with the aim ofpreparing an action plan to include
measures that can be implemented in
the short term. The discussions informing this review will contribute to
the definition of a corporate socialand environmental responsibility policy, on the basis of the futureplanning undertaken with the IRSN
2030 project.
Lastly, in 2017, IRSN continued
to pursue its environmentally
responsible approach throughpartnerships with industry andlocal councils, such as the council ofFontenay-aux-Roses and its city bikeshare scheme, Vélib, with a station
set to open in 2018 in the immediate
vicinity of the IRSN site.

-10%
cut in the amount of electricity
consumed per employee between
2009 and 201557

GOVERNING
BODIES+ BOARD OF DIRECTORSAS OF FEBRUARY 1, 2018
Missions
Deliberations by the Board of Directors
rule on IRSN activities. More specifically, the Board deliberates on general conditions governing the Institute’sorganization and operation, its strategy
and program, and its annual report.
It also approves the budget, decisions
involving changes, year-end financial
statements and income appropriation.

— A member of parliament
Perrine GOULET, Deputy from the Nievre
department.

— Eight staff representatives

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

François DUCAMP, CGT.

Alain GUILLEMETTE, Representativein charge of Nuclear Safety and Radiation
Protection for Defense related Activities andFacilities.

Nomination pending.

— Five advisory members— Ten government representatives

Jean-Claude DELALONDE, Chairman of
the National Association of Local Information
Commissions and Committees, nominated by
the Minister of the Environment.

Joëlle CARMES, Deputy Director of Environmental and Food Risk Prevention at the
French Directorate General for Health, representing the Minister of Health.
Aurélien LOUIS, Deputy Director for the
Nuclear Industry, Directorate General for
Energy and Climate, representing the Minister of Energy.
Frédéric RAVEL, Scientifc Director of theEnergy, Sustainable Development, Chemistry
and Process Department of the Directorate
General for Research and Innovation, representing the Minister of Research.

Nicolas BRISSON, CGT.

Laurence ESTELLER, CFE-CGC.

François JEFFROY, CFDT.
Olivier KAYSER, CFE-CGC.
Christophe SERRES, CFDT.

— Ex officio or associate members— A senator

Laurent TAPADINHAS, Deputy Director
to the Commissioner General for Sustainable
Development, representing the Minister for
the Environment.

Léna LEBRETON, CGT.

Thierry FLEURY, CFDT.
Representing the Minister of the Budget(nomination pending).

Pierre-Franck CHEVET, Head of the
Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection
Mission.

Jacques COUSQUER, Nuclear Safety
Inspector for DGA, the French defense procurement agency, representing the Ministerof Defense.

58

Faouzia FEKIRI, Head of the Risk Resilience Assessment Oice of the Directorate
General for Civil Protection and Emergency
Response, representing the Minister of Civil
Protection.

Bruno DUVERT, Air Force Brigadier General, nominated by the Minister of Defense.
Representing the Minister of Health (nomination pending).
Laurent MOCHÉ, Acting Chairperson of
the IRSN Board of Directors in temporary
capacity. CEO of Edenkia, nominated by the
Minister of Energy.
Agnès SMITH, Professor at the Ecole
nationale des céramiques industrielles deLimoges, nominated by the Minister ofResearch.

Jean-Pascal CODINE, Budget Comptroller.
Philippe BOURACHOT, Works Committee
Secretary.
Marc MORTUREUX, Director Generalof Risk Prevention and Government Commissioner.
Georges-Henri MOUTON, Deputy Director General, in charge of Defense-related
missions.
Jean-Christophe NIEL, Director General.
Pierre PIQUEMAL-LAGORRE, Accounting Officer.

Annual Report 2017

+ STEERING COMMITTEEFOR THE NUCLEAR DEFENSE
EXPERTISE DIVISION – CODEND+ SCIENTIFIC COUNCILAS OF FEBRUARY 1, 2018

Missions

Missions

The scientific council examines andgives its opinion on IRSN activity programs and ensures that its research
programs are scientifically relevant andof the highest quality. It examines program results in 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 comes under the Institute’s authority.

AS OF FEBRUARY 1, 2018

+ ETHICS COMMISSIONCOMPOSITION
AS OF FEBRUARY 1, 2018
Missions

The committee examines the activity program prepared by the nuclear
defense. Expertise division before itis submitted to the institute’s Boardof directors. It is consulted when the
Board of directors is called upon to
make decisions relating specifically tothe organization or running of this division and advises the Board of directors
on matters related to division activities.
Alain GUILLEMETTE, CODEND Chairman, representative in charge of Nuclear
Safety and Radiation Protection for Defense
related Activities and Facilities.
François LECOINTRE, General, representative of the Armed Forces Chief of Staff.
É r i c S C H E R E R , N u c l e a r We a p o n s
Inspector.
Norbert FARGÈRE, Engineer Generalfor Armaments, representing the DGA, theFrench defense procurement agency.
Frank BARRERA, Colonel, representing
the administrative Secretary General of the
Ministry of Defense.
Adrien BICHET, Representing the Budget
Director.
Clément ARMINJON, Representing the
Director of Strategic Affairs, Security andDisarmament at the Ministry of Foreign andEuropean Affairs.
Christian DUFOUR, Deputy Head of the
Economic and Nuclear Infrastructure Security Department, representing the High Civil
Servant for Defense and Security of the
Ministry of the Economy and Finance.

Pierre TOULHOAT, Deputy CEO of theFrench Geological Survey (BRGM), IRSN
Scientific Council Chairman.
Jean-Christophe AMABILE, Chief Medical Officer, radiation protection specialistat the Armed Forces Radiation Protection
Department (SPRA).
Hugues DELORME, Professor specialized
in neutron physics at the School of Military
Applications of Atomic Energy (EAMEA).
Patsy-Ann THOMPSON, Director of Environmental and Radiation Protection andAssessments at the Canadian Nuclear Safety
Commission, nominated by the Minister ofthe Environment.
Frank HARDEMAN, Director in charge ofRadiation Protection-Environment-Healthat the Belgian Nuclear Research Center(SCK-CEN).
Jean-Paul MOATTI, University professor.
Guy FRIJA, University professor.
Denis VEYNANTE, Research Director at
the French National Center for Scientific
Research (CNRS).
Éric ANDRIEU, Professor at the Toulouse
National Polytechnic Institute (INP).

Mario PAIN, Head of the Department of
Defense, Security and Economic Intelligence,
representing the Senior Defense and Security Office at the Ministry for Ecological andInclusive Transition.

Bernard BONIN, Deputy Scientific Directorof the CEA Nuclear Energy Division, nominated by the Minister of Research.

Serge POULARD, Advisory member,appointed by the Minister of Industry.

Denis GAMBINI, Medical practitioner,
researcher at the Occupational Health
Department at the Hôtel-Dieu hospital in
Paris, nominated by the Minister of Labor.

The Ethics Commission is provided forunder the IRSN organizational regulations and reports to the Board of
Directors. It is responsible for advising the Board on preparing ethical charters that are applicable to theInstitute’s activities and for monitoring
their application, including conditions
within the Institute for separatingassessment missions performed onbehalf of government departments andthose performed for public or private
operators. It also serves as a mediatorwhen problems of an ethical naturearise.
Jean-Pierre DUPUY, Chairman of theCommission, Corps des Mines Engineer
General, philosopher, professor at the École
Polytechnique and Stanford University,
California, and member of the French
Academy of Technology.
Marc CLÉMENT, Public reporter tothe Administrative Appeal Court in Lyon,
member of the Environmental Authorityof the General Council for the Environment
and Sustainable Development.
Éric VINDIMIAN, Engineer General inrural engineering, water and forests, Regional Director of the Irstea (French research
institute for environmental and agriculturalscience and technology), specialist in theimpact of toxic substances on the environment and health and in assessment of public
environmental policies, member of the Environmental Authority and Coordinator of the
Research and Technology Commission of theGeneral Council for the Environment andSustainable Development.
Frédéric WORMS, Professor of Philosophy
at the Ecole Normale Supérieure, Directorof the Centre international d’étude de laPhilosophie française contemporaine (partof the République des savoirs, USR 3608
ENS/Collège de France/CNRS), Memberof the French National Ethics Advisory Committee (CCNE).

Jacques COUSQUER, representing thegeneral delegate for armaments.

59Governing bodies+ NUCLEAR SAFETY AND
RADIATION PROTECTIONRESEARCH POLICYCOMMITTEE – COR
AS OF FEBRUARY 1, 2018
Missions— Companies and profesional associationsNoël CAMARCAT, Nuclear Researchand Development Officer, Generation andEngineering Branch, EDF.
Bernard LE GUEN, EDF representing
SFRP.

Jean-Claude DELALONDE, Presidentof ANCCLI.
Marie-Pierre COMETS, President of
the High Committee for Transparency andInformation on Nuclear Safety.

The nuclear safety and radiation Protection Research Policy committee, or
COR, is an advisory body to the IRSN
Board of directors, giving opinions on
research objectives and priorities in thefields of nuclear safety and radiation protection. it adopts a global approach thattakes into consideration the requirements of society and the public authorities, complementing the activity of
IRSN’s scientific council, which focuseson the quality and relevance of the Institute’s research programs and outcomes from a scientific perspective.

Bertrand de l’ÉPINOIS, Safety Standards
Director, representing Orano (formerly
Areva).

+ Representatives of national labor
unions:Cyrille THIEFFRY, Task Officer for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Affairs, IN2P3,
CNRS representative.

— Public authorities

Jean-Paul CRESSY, FCE-CFDT.

— Foreign members+ Supervisory ministry representatives:

Martine DOZOL, FO.

Bruno GILLET, Task Officer, Directorate
General for Research and Innovation, representing the Ministry of Research. Representative of the Directorate General for Health,representative of the Ministry of Health.

Claire ÉTINEAU, CFTC.

Christophe BADIE, Environmental
Assessments Department, Public Health
England, United Kingdom.

Jacques DELAY, CFE-CGC.

Ted LAZO, NEA, OECD.

Christian HOLBÉ, CGT.

Lionel MOULIN, Head of the Environmental Risks and Health Mission, Research
Department, Directorate for Research andInnovation, representing the Ministry for
Ecological and Inclusive Transition.

— Elected representatives

George YADIGAROGLU, Professor of
Nuclear Engineering at the Swiss Federal
Institute of Technology.

+ OPECST representatives:— Ex officio members

Nomination pending.

Yves BRÉCHET, Atomic Energy High
Comissioner.

Jean-François CAU, Nuclear Safety Inspector, DGA (French Defense Procurement Agency), representing the Ministryof Defense.

+ Representative of the Local Information Commissions (CLI):

Mayeul PHELIP, Task Officer at the Policy
and Supervisory Office, Directorate General for Energy and Climate, representing
the Ministry for Ecological and Inclusive
Transition.

+ Representatives of municipalities hosting a nuclear facility, proposed by the
association of French Mayors:+ Representing the Ministry of Labor:

Bertrand RINGOT, Mayor of Gravelines.

Thierry LAHAYE, in charge of matters relating to the protection of workers against physical hazards, Directorate General for Labor.

— Associations+ Representative of French Nuclear
Safety Authority:

Jean-Paul LACOTE, France Nature
Environnement.

Nomination pending.

Simon SCHRAUB, Director of the Ligue

Jean-Jacques MAZERON, Head of theRadiotherapy-Oncology Department, PitiéSalpêtrière Hospital, SFRP representative.
Soraya THABET, Director of Risk Control,
Andra.

— Employees in the nuclear sector

Monique SENÉ, Vice-President of ANCCLI.

Nomination pending.

David BOILLEY, President of Acro.

Nationale Contre le Cancer.

60— Advisory members— Research organizations
Daniel FAGRET, Deputy Director General for Strategy – Inserm.
Paristech representative (nomination pending), representative of the French Conference of University Presidents (CPU).
François GAUCHÉ, Director of Nuclear
Energy, CEA.

Marc MORTUREUX, Government
Commissioner, represented by Benoit
BETTINELLI, Head of the Nuclear Safety
and Radiation Protection Mission, Ministry
for Ecological and Inclusive Transition.
Pierre TOULHOAT, IRSN ScientificCouncil Chairman and CEO of the French
Geological Survey (BRGM).
Jean-Christophe NIEL, Director Generalof IRSN.

Annual Report 2017

GLOSSARYA
ANCCLI French National Associationof 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.
ASTEC Accident Source Term
Evaluation Code, a system of computercodes developed collaboratively by IRSN
and GRS to evaluate the physicalphenomena occurring during a core melt
accident in a pressurized water reactor.
B
Bel V Subsidiary of the Belgian Federal

Agency for Nuclear Control.
BSAF Benchmark Study of the Accident

E
ECS Complementary safety assessments.
EEIG European Economic Interest

Grouping.
EFFECTIVE DOSE A physical variable

used in the field of radiation protection,
where it serves to assess the impact
of exposure to ionizing radiation
on biological tissue. It takes into accountthe sensitivity of the affected tissues andthe type of radiation. The sievert (Sv)is the unit of effective dose.
ENSTTI European Nuclear Safety
Training and Tutoring Institute.
EPR European Pressurized-water Reactor.
ERMSAR European Review Meetingon Severe Accident Research.
ETSON European Technical Safety
Organizations Network.
EURATOM European Atomic Energy
Community.

at the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power
Plant, a project run by the NEA/OECD.

H
HCERES High Council for EvaluationC
CABRI CEA test reactor used by IRSNHDR Accreditation to supervise research.
HFDS Ministry of Energy Senior Defenseof Research and Higher Education.
to study nuclear fuel safety.
CEPN French Nuclear Protection

Assessment Center.
CIGEO Project for a repository in Meuse/

Haute-Marne for the reversible geologicaldisposal of radioactive waste.
CLI Local Information Commission.
CLIS Local Information and OversightCommittee, now known as CSS, Site
Oversight Committee.
CONCERT European Concerted Programon Radiation Protection Research.
COR Nuclear Safety and Radiation
Protection Research Policy Committee.
CRITICALITY (RISKS) Risks associatedwith uncontrolled chain reactions in fissile
materials.
CSA Complementary Safety Assessment.
The term generally used outside France
is “stress test”.
D
DoE US Department of Energy.
DOSIMETRY Assessment or

measurement of the dose of radiation(radioactivity) absorbed by a substanceor an individual.
DRL Diagnostic Reference Levels.
DSND Representative in charge of
Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection
for Defense-related Activities andFacilities.

N
NEA OECD Nuclear Energy Agency.
NUGENIA Nuclear Generation II & III

Association, a European association forresearch on Generation II and III reactors.
O
OECD Organization for Economic

Cooperation and Development.
OPCW Organisation for the prohibitionof chemical weapons
OPERRA Open Project for the European
Radiation Research Area.
P
PETAL Laser line that can deliver a

very high-power laser for experimental
purposes in a number of research areas,
particularly civil research.
PIA/RSNR French program of investment
for the future/Research into nuclear safety
and radiation protection.
PRINCESS Project for IRSN Neutron
Physics and Criticality Experimental Data
Supporting Safety.
PSA Probabilistic Safety Assessments.

and Security Official, the authority
in charge of nuclear material protection
and control in France.

R
RADIONUCLIDE Radioactive isotope

I
IAEA International Atomic Energy

S
SFRP French Society for Radiation

Agency.
ICRP International Commission
on Radiological Protection.
INB Regulated nuclear facility.
INBS Regulated nuclear defense facility.
INCA French National Cancer Institute.
INES International Nuclear Event Scale,graded from 0 to 7.
INSC Instrument for Nuclear Safety
Cooperation, cooperation contracts
financed by the European Commission.
INSTN French National Institutefor Nuclear Science and Technology.

of an element.

Protection.
SMR Small Modular Reactor.
SNETP Sustainable Nuclear Energy
Technology Platform, a European
platform devoted to nuclear technology.
SSE Significant safety event.
T
TACIS Technical Assistance

European research on radioactive waste
disposal in deep geological repositories.

to the Commonwealth of Independent
States, a European program of assistancefor restructuring the economies of new
independent states.
TECV French Act on energy transition
for green growth.
TSN French Act of June 13, 2006
on transparency and security
in the nuclear field.
TSO Technical safety organization.

M
MWe Megawatt electric, unit of electricU
UGAP French Union of Public

J
JAEA Japanese Atomic Energy Agency.
JOPRAD Coordination action for

power produced. In a pressurized water
reactor, the thermal power released
is about three times greater.

Procurement Groupings, a public
procurement organization.
US-NRC United States Nuclear
Regulatory Commission.

61

LEGAL INFORMATIONIRSN SITE DETAILSHead Office
BP 17 - 31, avenue de la Division-Leclerc
92262 Fontenay-aux-Roses Cedex, France
Tel.: +33 (0)1 58 35 88 88
Cadarache
BP 313115 - Saint-Paul-lès-Durance Cedex,
FranceTel.: +33 (0)4 42 25 70 00
Cherbourg-Octeville
BP 10 - Rue Max-Pol-Fouchet
50130 Cherbourg-Octeville, France
Tel.: +33 (0)2 33 01 41 00

Les Angles-Avignon
BP 70295 - 550, avenue de la Tramontane
30402 Les Angles-Villeneuve-lez-Avignon
Cedex, France
Tel.: +33 (0)4 90 26 11 00
Le Vésinet
BP 40035 - 31, rue de l’Écluse
78116 Le Vésinet Cedex, France
Tel.: +33 (0)1 30 15 52 00
Orsay
Bois-des-Rames (bât. 501)
91400 Orsay, France
Tel.: +33 (0)1 69 85 58 40

PierrelatteBP 166 - 26702 Pierrelatte Cedex, France
Tel.: +33 (0)4 75 50 40 00
SaclayBP 68 - 91192 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France
Tel.: +33 (0)1 69 08 60 00
VairaoBP 182 - 98725 Vairao Tahiti,
French Polynesia
Tel.: +00 689 54 60 39

PHOTO CREDITS
CoverInterior of the Alkaline Smelting Furnace at IRSN's Environmental Radioactivity Measurement Laboratory.
Using molten salts between 800 and 1,000°C, the furnace makes it possible to quickly mineralize solid samples takenfrom the environment to measure their radionuclide concentrations.
Credits : Francesco Acerbis/IRSN media library
InsidePages 6/7/8/9/11/13/52/56 : Antoine Devouard/IRSN media library - pages 14/36/37/46 : L.Zylberman Graphix-Images/IRSN media library pages 17/55 : Stéphanie Clavelle/IRSN - pages 19/43 : Aleth Delattre/IRSN - page 20/31 : Stéphanie Jayet/IRSN media library page 22 : Orano - page 24 : Alexis Morin/IRSN media library - page 26 : Sylvain Bassot/IRSN - page 27 : cea-Le Sénéchal - page 28 : IRSN pages 29/44 : Olivier Seignette/Mikaël Lafontan/IRSN - page 30 : EDF media library - Alexis MORIN - Pôle Communication DIPNN - EDF
Flamanville - page 32 : Patrick Dumas/IRSN media library - pages 33/34 : Francesco Acerbis/IRSN media library - page 38 : PRP-ENV/SESURE/LERCM/IRSN media library - page 40 : Patrick Boyer/IRSN media library - page 42 : Pascale Monti/IRSN - page 47 : DR - page 48 : Marie-Pierre
Bigot / IRSN - page 49 : Gerald Bouchez/IRSN media library - page 50 : Cathy Vérité/IRSN media library
Snapshots
Nicolas Lartigue/Pellicam/IRSN media library

EDITORIAL COORDINATION
AND PRODUCTION
Steering Committee
Senior Management Committee

Coordination
Valérie Marchal, Directory of Strategy,
Development and Partnerships

Representatives
Strategy: Matthieu Schuler*International: Marc-Gérard Albert
Knowledge Management: Martial Jorel
Communication: Marie-Pierre Bigot
Safety: Richard Gonzalez, Karine Herviou,
Frédérique Pichereau
Security/Defense: Frédéric Mermaz

Waste/Geosphere: Didier Gay
Health: Alain Rannou
Environment: Jacqueline Garnier-Laplace,
Jocelyne Aigueperse, Didier Gay
Emergency Response: Jean-Luc Lachaume,
Éric Vial
Property, Sustainable Development: André
Roubaud
Human Resources: Christine Tharaud.

Annual report printed on paper FSC®
MIXTE produced from sustainable
resources.

Graphic Design and Production
Bug Agency
Printed byRelais graphique
Translation
Provence traduction

62

This Annual Report was approuved by the
IRSN Board of Directors on March 6, 2018.

* Director of Strategy, Development and Partnerships until January 31, 2018.

© IRSNISSN 2493-593X

63

Head office31, avenue de la Division-Leclerc
92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses
RCS Nanterre B 440 546 018

Mailcontact@irsn.fr@IRSNFrance
Telephone+33 (0)1 58 35 88 88
Mailing address
BP 17
92262 Fontenay-aux-Roses Cedex
Websitewww.irsn.fr