This time, the text is passed. A year after rejecting it, the National Assembly approved this Tuesday March 19 by one vote the merger of the two players in nuclear safety, the ASN, policeman of power plants, and the IRSN, responsible for expertise technical, paving the way for final adoption of the reform at the beginning of April.
The bill relating to the governance of nuclear safety, which provides for the creation on January 1, 2025 of a “Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Authority”, was approved by 260 deputies against 259, with some Republicans adding their votes to those of the majority. While the Senate also voted in favor of the bill last week, the government is now expected to convene a joint committee on April 3, with a view to final adoption in both chambers in early April.
“Fluidify” the sector
The reform, which aims, according to the government, to “fluidify” the sector and reduce delays in the expertise, authorization and control processes, in the midst of a relaunch of the atom, has provoked the ire of the unions of the two entities and encountered opposition from a number of elected officials, experts and associations.
Its detractors warn in particular of the risk of disorganization of the system, loss of independence of experts and transparency with regard to the public. Unjustified fears, in the eyes of certain players in the sector, who for their part pointed out the excesses of a system with two entities.