Link to the study - European Parliament - Europa

Policy Department D: Budgetary Affairs
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ASN comprises the former General Directorate for Nuclear Safety and Radiological Protection with its
11 regional divisions ('Direction Générale de la Sûreté Nucléaire et de la Radioprotection, DGSNR') under
the authority of the ministers for health, the environment and industry as well as other state
departments. ASN receives technical support from 'the Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté
Nucléaire' - Nuclear Safety Research Institute (IRSN).
The total budget of ASN is EUR 142 million per year. This authority shall provide an efficient and
credible nuclear regulation. The core tasks are:
Regulations covering diverse activities and installations;
Inspections;
Information.
ASN has 8 subdivisions on national level and 11 on local level. Herein, the national subdivision - Waste
Research and Fuel Cycle Facilities Department (DRC) - is responsible for decommissioning issues and
coordinates the relevant local divisions.
The life of the nuclear power plant is, as defined ASN provisions, divided into 2 stages: operation and
dismantling. The dismantling stage consists of two sub-phases called 'end of operation' and
'definitive shut down'. During the definitive shut down stage, the dismantling is prepared and after
that performed under the framework of a new license (decree) for dismantling. The French licensing
procedure foresees only one decree for the whole dismantling of the plant. This simplifies the
licensing procedure, provides clarity for the safety authorities and allows less formal administration
by the operator. The licensing procedure involves licensing for the dismantling itself and the overall
safety license during decommissioning.
Licensing
The licensing procedure for the decommissioning stage occurs in two phases:
End of operation phase:
The operator has to inform the ASN in written form about the definitive shutdown 3 years in
advance. The information has to include the description of the work to be performed, the
modification to the organisation of the plant, the time schedule and the description of the plant
in the corresponding state.
Dismantling phase:
An application for a license (decree) has to be delivered to the relevant ministries one year before
the definitive shut down. The application consists of altogether 11 documents, the most
important of which are:
Initial state of the plant (before definitive shutdown),
Main steps of dismantling,
Various maps,
Safety analysis report,
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