Review of the 2012 year

In this article the ASN (French Authority for Nuclear Safety) reviews its activities for the year 2012. Concerning authorisations, the ASN issued 639 permissions in the medical domain and 1002 renewals and 257 new permissions for the use of radioactive sources, it also withdrew 233 permissions. In the framework of the re-examination of the safety level of a nuclear plant, that has to be made every 10 years, the ASN has considered that the operation of the unit 2 of the Bugey plant can keep on provided some improvements have to be made. The ASN has also given its approval for the thickening of the foundation mat of the unit 1 of the Fessenheim plant. The ASN has also allowed the resuming of the dismantling works of the ATPu facility on the Cadarache CEA site. During 2012 the ASN performed 2093 on-site inspections in all the domains that it covers (nuclear facilities, nuclear transport, laboratories...). The management of post--accidental situations has also been a main issue for ASN in 2012. (A.C.)