55th meeting of the International Nuclear Regulators Association (INRA) in Paris chaired by the ASNR
On 5 and 6 May 2025, the INRA association, which brings together the heads of nine nuclear safety authorities[1], held its 55th meeting in Paris. The meeting, chaired by Pierre-Marie Abadie, President of the ASNR, was an opportunity for INRA members to discuss the situation in Ukraine, current events in their respective countries, the challenges of climate change for the safety of nuclear installations and nuclear fusion.
The state of nuclear installations in Ukraine was discussed in the presence of the IAEA and SNRIU, the Ukrainian nuclear safety authority. INRA members acknowledged the very worrying safety situation at all Ukrainian nuclear facilities, in particular the Zaporijjia nuclear power plant, both in technical terms and in terms of human and organisational factors, with the permanent presence of Russian Federation military forces on the site. They also discussed the state of Chernobyl Reactor No. 4 following the drone strike on the containment arch on 14 February.
Pierre-Marie Abadie presented an overview of the organisation of the ASNR following its creation on 1 January 2025. He detailed the regulatory stages and the ASNR's role in the start-up tests and ramp-up of the Flamanville EPR reactor, and mentioned the ASNR's examination of the application for authorisation to build the Penly EPR2. P.M. Abadie recalled the periodic safety review process applied in France, presenting in particular the ASNR's position on the guidelines for the5th periodic safety review of 900 MWe reactor series and the considerations concerning continued operation beyond the age of 60. Finally, he presented the status of the regulatory review of the various SMR projects in France, the progress of the review of the Cigéo project and the government's decisions on the construction of new spent fuel reprocessing facilities after 2040.
In the presence of François-Marie Bréon, climate expert and member of the IPCC[2], the members of INRA discussed the challenges of climate change, recognising the need to take account of its consequences on the safety of nuclear facilities, particularly those under construction, the uncertainties associated with scientific knowledge of climatic phenomena and the time scale to be considered. The discussion showed that there was a broad consensus on the need to take these issues into account.
A discussion on nuclear fusion gave the INRA members an opportunity to look at the different approaches to regulation. P.M. Abadie pointed out, based on the control of the Iter experimental fusion facility, that the ASNR considered that the existing regulatory framework in France for the control of nuclear facilities was suitable for the control of nuclear fusion facilities. This framework offers the flexibility needed to provide a framework proportionate to the challenges at stake, by tailoring the implementation of the safety standards established under the Euratom Treaty. Consequently, P.M. Abadie is not in favour of establishing a specific regulatory framework for fusion installations that would be independent of the general framework for nuclear installations. By way of comparison, the BMUV indicated that nuclear fusion installations were not covered by the regulations applicable to nuclear installations but by those concerning radiation protection. The discussion focused on the need to regulate these facilities in an appropriate and proportionate manner, and to address the issues of containment of materials, activated materials and waste.
At the end of the meeting, the chairmanship of INRA was entrusted to Juan Carlos Lentijo, Chairman of the CSN, for a period of one year.
The INRA members then travelled to the Cadarache site, where they visited the Iter experimental fusion facility on 7 May. The Marseille division of the ASNR was also present, and explained its role in terms of the on-site inspections it carries out.
- INRA (International Nuclear Regulators Association) brings together the heads of nine nuclear safety authorities: ASN (France), BMUV (Germany), CSN (Spain), CCSN (Canada), NRA (Japan), NRC (United States), NSSC (Korea), ONR (United Kingdom) and SSM (Sweden).
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
