SFEN-The French Nuclear Energy Society

The French Nuclear Energy Society represents:

• A non-profit organisation founded in 1973 gathering 4000 individual members committed to the advancement of nuclear energy applications in the technical, economic and social, national and international arenas.

• Three core activities:

  • Scientific, technical and economic activities for the development, maintenance and transmissions of competencies

  • Information and communication activities vis-à-vis the decision makers and the public in general on local, regional, national, european and global level.

  • International activities for the creation and maintenance of an international network of contacts and the diffusion of French technical know-how and competencies.

   

• Diversified activities carried out through:

  • 10 technical sections: Teaching, Training; Material science and technology; non-destructive testing; safety and environmental protection; nuclear fuel cycle; reactor physics; reactor technology and operation; energy issues, nuclear energy economics and finance; law and insurance; waste and decommissioning.

  • One group on reflections and prospective for energy in the 21st century.

  • One network of 23 regional groups, one “Young Professionals” Group), one “Women in the Nuclear” Group, as well as 15 Student Groups.

   

• Numerous international contacts

  • Within the European Union, the French Nuclear Society work with two organisations, the European Nuclear Society (ENS), and the European Atomic Forum (Foratom). They maintain relationships with the OCDE Nuclear Energy Agency (AEN) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

  • Outside of Europe, the French Nuclear Society has signed 8 bilateral agreements with foreign nuclear societies (Canada, China, Korea, Japan, Russia…) and through the French Section of the ANS it maintains close links to the American Nuclear Society.

   

• Communications and publications:

  • A monthly bulletin (newsletter), a bi-monthly technical magazine, an internet site, specialised publications.

 

• The organisation of technical colloquia, conferences – debates, visits to nuclear facilities and the numerous contacts in the world of secondary school teachers, college and university professors and students…

Activities and projects

in 2003

• 16 one-day topical meetings, gathering more than 1000 participants (e.g. on Probabilistic Safety Assessments, radioactive waste, “N4”-type nuclear power plants, new legal concepts)

• 1 international congress with more than 300 participants, organised in Avignon on the decommissioning of nuclear installations.

• 33 debates on nuclear and energy politicies organised in Paris and in the French regions in connection with the National Energy Debate.

• 15 articles or columns published in the main regional and national newspapers.

• A “General Declaration” and five proposals formulated in the a press conference taken up in several local meetings and widely circulated to elected officials.

• Meetings featuring speakers from all fields of expertise, such as MM. Hubert Reeves, Pierre-René Bauquis, Professors Jean-Claude Artus, André Aurengo, Jean-François Lacronique, Deputies Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet and André Sentini, Mrs Nicole Notat and others.

in 2004

• The National Convention will gather 250 participants on the theme of Reactors of the Future.

• The National Convention focussed on the new technologies and new competencies for nuclear plants in operation (9-10 March 2004 in Paris).

• The launch of a special action aimed at transferring competencies to, and integrating, young professionals.

• The will to reach 500 secondary school teachers, college and Technical University professors through general information meetings on the nuclear industry and presentations to thousands of students from secondary schools and institutions of higher education.

• Involvement of “La Revue Générale Nucléaire”, The General Nuclear Review, in a co-operation project at European level with the German and Spanish nuclear magazines.

• Workshops on the EPR, graphite waste, gas reactors, non-destructive testing, safety…

• A Franco-Chinese seminar in Beijing, China and a Franco-Korean seminar in Seoul, Korea