Pierre-Marie Abadie was officially appointed by Emmanuel Macron as president of the Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN), at the center of a controversial reorganization project, according to a decree published on Wednesday, November 6 in Official Gazette.
The current general director of the National Radioactive Waste Management Agency (Andra), whose candidacy had already been validated by Parliament, will take office as of November 13. Mr. Abadie will preside from 1Ahem In January 2025, the future Nuclear Safety and Radiological Protection Authority (ASNR) will be created, a single authority that will replace the ASN, the nuclear safety surveillance body, and the IRSN, the expert institute in the sector.
Given the tight deadlines between this promulgation and the effective creation of the ASNR, the current president of the ASN, Bernard Doroszczuk, had mentioned a calendar ” tense “ and uncertainties that must be resolved, such as a €37 million deficit in the authority’s budget.
In spring, the IRSN applauded the election by the Elysée of the personality of Mr. Abadie, a senior energy expert. On the other hand, opponents of the Cigéo project for the deep burial of the most radioactive waste of the French nuclear fleet, led by Andra, felt “a smell of conflict of interest”.
Mr. Abadie promised that, once appointed, he would withdraw from the file and would no longer deal with Cigéo. “during the entire six-year term”. He also clarified that he would not participate “to any of the discussions and decisions relating to facilities and decisions that directly concern Andra”.
