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Function of Competent Authority as defined by
International Conventions
The Environment Code provides for ASN to fulfil the
role of Competent Authority under the International
Conventions onEarlyNotification andAssistance. As such
it collates and summarises information for the purpose
of sending or receiving notifications and for transmitting
the information required by these Conventions to the
International Organisations (IAEA andEuropeanUnion)
and to the countries possibly affected by radiological
consequences on their own territory.
2.1.2 Organisation of ASN
Organising the response to accidents occurring in BNIs
The ASN emergency response organisation set up for an
accident or incident in a BNImore specifically comprises:
•
at the national level, an emergency centre inMontrouge,
consisting of three Command Posts (PC):
-- a “Strategy” Command Post, consisting of the ASN
Commission, which, in an emergency situation, could
be called on to issue resolutions and impose prescrip-
tions on the licensee of the installation concerned;
-- a Technical CommandPost (PCT) in constant contact
with its technical support organisation, IRSN, and
with the ASNCommission. Its role is to adopt a stance
for advising the Prefect, who acts as the director of
contingency operations;
-- aCommunicationCommandPost (PCC), locatedclose
to the Technical Command Post. The ASN Chair-
man or his representative acts as spokesperson, a role
which is distinct from that of the head of the Techni-
cal Command Post.
This emergency centre is regularly tested during national
emergency exercises and is activated for actual incidents
or accidents.
•
at the local level:
-- ASN representatives working with and advising the
Prefect in his or her decisions and communications;
-- ASN inspectors present on the site affected by the
accident.
In 2015, the national emergency centre was activated for
six national exercises as well as on three occasions when
the licensee triggered the on-site emergency plan for the
CattenomNPP on 28thMay 2015, the FlamanvilleNPP in
the night of 26th August 2015 and the decommissioning
site for the former Brennilis NPP on 23rd September
2015. These three real situations led to no releases of
radioactive substances. In all three cases, the licensees
brought the situation under control within a few hours,
whichmeant that ASNwas able to authorise them to lift
the PUI. The ASN emergency centre was also activated
for several hours in standby mode, for an event in the
Flamanville NPP in the evening of 9th October 2015.
ASN is supported by an analysis team working at the
IRSN’s Technical Emergency Centre (CTC).
Experience feedback from the Fukushima Daiichi
accident also leads ASN to envisage sending one of its
representatives, if necessary, to the French embassy of a
country in which an accident occurred.
ASN’s alert system allows mobilisation of its staff, for
activation of its emergency response centre, as well as
those of IRSN. This automatic systemsends an alert signal
to the staff equipped with appropriate reception devices,
as soon as it is remotely triggered by the BNI licensee
originating the alert. It also sends the alert to the staff of the
DGSCGC, the Interministerial Emergency Management
OperationsCentre (Cogic),
Météo-France
and theministerial
operational monitoring and alert centre of theMinistry of
the Environment, Energy and the Sea.
In order to improve these arrangements, ASN is working
on creating a legal framework such as to allow the creation
of an on-call duty system. Such an on-call duty system
would improve robustness and efficiency such as to ensure
rapid deployment of staff.
Diagram 2 summarises the role of ASN in a radiological
emergency situation. This functional diagram illustrates
the importance of the ASN representative to the Prefect,
who relays and explains the recommendations being sent
by the ASN emergency centre.
TABLE 1:
Positions of the various players in a radiological emergency situation
DECISION
EXPERT APPRAISAL
INTERVENTION
COMMUNICATION
Authorities
Government (CIC)
COD Prefect
/
Prefect (PCO)
Civil protection
COD Prefect
ASN (PCT)
IRSN (CTC)
Météo-France
IRSN
(mobile units)
ASN
IRSN
Licensees
National and local level
National and local level
Local level
National and local level
CIC: French Inter-ministerial Crisis Committee
COD: Departmental Operations Centre
PCO: Operational Command Post
CTC: Technical Emergency Centre
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CHAPTER 05:
RADIOLOGICAL EMERGENCY AND POST-ACCIDENT SITUATIONS
ASN report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2015