High committee for nuclear safety transparency and information. September 23, 2008 meeting

The high committee for the nuclear safety transparency and information (HCTISN) is an information, consultation and debate authority devoted to the assessment of the risks linked with nuclear activities and to the analysis of their impact on public health, on the environment and on nuclear safety. Each year, the HCTISN organizes several ordinary meetings in order to analyze some specific topics of the moment. This meeting was organized around 6 main points: 1 - the terms of the High Committee operation and the internal rules for the meetings; 2 - the plutonium imports and transportation between Great Britain and France (contracts status, ship safety report, plutonium grade, return of plutonium-derived wastes): hearing of Areva, of the general direction of infrastructures, transports and sea (DGITM), of Greenpeace organisation, debate; 3 - the follow-up of the July 7, 2008 incident at the Socatri facility (Tricastin site (France)) where the overflow of a storage tank led to the spillage of a uraniferous solution on the ground: hearing of Areva (remedial action, re-start up of the facility, environmental monitoring, communication and transparency), hearing of the nuclear safety authority (ASN), of the institute of radiation protection and nuclear safety (IRSN), of the local commission of information (CIGEET), of the hygiene, safety and labour conditions committee (CHSCT) of Socatri company, of the direction of civil safety (DSC), debate about the information dissemination around this incident; 4 - Opinion of the High Committee about the plutonium transportation between Great Britain and France, and about the Socatri incident; 5 - referral to the High Committee of the radioecological follow up of all nuclear sites and of the quality of the information given to the public: ASN's reports about the radioecological follow-up of surface and ground waters and of the ancient radioactive waste storage sites, ASND's answer (Nuclear safety authority of defense), IRSN's answer, ANDRA's answer (National agency of radioactive wastes), Areva's answer, CEA's answer, EdF's answer, position of the general direction of risks prevention (DGPR); 6 - information by EdF about the incident of September 8, 2008 at the Tricastin power plant during the unloading of the fuel assemblies of reactor no.2. (J.S.)