French and international context
Approach to the safety of third generation nuclear reactors in France

Safety is a concept that evolves both through the progressive acquisition of knowledge and through changes in the level of safety deemed acceptable. Indeed, safety is a key factor in the political acceptability of the nuclear option.

In many countries, the loss of public confidence in the ability of nuclear power to generate electricity under satisfactory safety conditions has led to the halting of new construction. In the United States in particular, this dates back to the Three Mile Island accident. The Chernobyl accident led a number of other countries, particularly in Europe, to take the same position, or even to shut down existing reactors. While there has been a revival of nuclear power worldwide in recent years, the accident...