The IRSN inter-union, a technical expert in nuclear safety, asked the Government on Monday for the “emergency” appointment of a “neutral” personality to manage the merger with the nuclear safety authority (ASN), which decides the fate of the nuclear plants. energy. During a meeting with the delegate minister in charge of Industry, Roland Lescure, the unions demanded “once again the rapid appointment of a precursor in charge of directing the construction of the new ASNR”, the nuclear safety and radiation protection authority.
This new institution, whose creation is scheduled for 2025, will result from the merger of the Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) and the Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), which respectively employ around 530 and 1,740 agents.
An appointment “as soon as possible after the promulgation of the law”
Promoted by the executive, this controversial nuclear security reform was definitively adopted in early April. According to its detractors, it risks causing a “disorganization” of the system and calling into question the independence of the decisions of the future single entity. The Government believes that the end of the dual system will allow the sector to be “fluidized” by reducing the time required for expert assessment and authorization of facilities.
The “forerunner is essential to arbitrate disagreements that exist on various issues between the IRSN and the ASN,” according to the inter-union. “It must be ‘neutral’ to guarantee the legitimacy of its arbitrations between the parties and, therefore, it must not come from the General Directorates of the IRSN or the ASN,” the statement underlines.
“The Minister’s wish is to appoint a prefigurator as soon as possible after the promulgation of the law,” the unions assure, stating that “our interlocutors have taken note of our request that a ‘neutral’ prefigurator be appointed.”
Source: BFM TV
