The research and other installations dealt with in this chapter are extremely diverse and in particular comprise experimental reactors, hot laboratories, accelerators and irradiators. In addition to CEA, there are a large number of licensees which operate a small number of installations.

2006 was an opportunity for CEA to position itself with respect to the priority areas for development of its activities.

Definition by CEA of dedicated centres of excellence (life sciences in Fontenay-aux-Roses, material sciences in Saclay, nuclear energy in Cadarache, radioactive waste in Marcoule, and so on) has led to ASN issuing recommendations to the highest level of CEA, to ensure that nuclear safety and radiation protection remain the licensee’s primary concern, including in those centres whose activities are mainly non-nuclear.

CEA is aware of the need to develop a true overall policy for the safety of its installations, even though this was anything but a foregone conclusion given that the forty or so BNIs at CEA were all special cases which needed a "graduated" safety approach (in the words of the IAEA). However, there are a number of clear installation categories:

• Research reactors, for which high safety levels have always been demanded. ASN considers that experience feedback is satisfactory, in particular with regard to the periodic safety reviews. An important point concerns the Phénix reactor, for which final shutdown operations are currently being prepared: ASN asked the licensee in particular to take account of the importance of human and organisational factors for an installation in closure phase.
• Laboratories and other facilities: ASN considers that CEA has to ensure strict compliance with its commitments with regard to upgrading of its older facilities. A particular point concerns the ATALANTE facility which contains all the R&D resources for the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle: ASN asked the licensee to pay particular attention to human and organisational factors in its facility following the incidents involving the interfaces between the experimentation staff and the licensee.
• Waste and effluent treatment facilities: these facilities, which are mostly of older design, are lagging far behind current safety standards and some will need to be replaced. ASN has observed that several projects concerning these facilities have been called into question or postponed and wants to see a rapid change in this situation, leading to a credible strategy for the management channels.
• Facilities being decommissioned, of which there are about ten or so today: ASN considers that the particularities of decommissioning are on the whole dealt with satisfactorily in these facilities (see chapter 15).

In 2006, CEA transmitted a three-year (2002-2004) review of safety and radiation protection proposing areas for progress in the future. ASN considers that this review is a good practice that should be continued, while stressing that it should be possible to quantify the attainment of certain major objectives.