Lydie Evrard nominated to lead ANDRA
On Monday, April 7, the Élysée Palace proposed the appointment of Lydie Evrard as Director General of the French National Agency for Radioactive Waste Management (ANDRA). Currently serving at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), she would succeed Pierre-Marie Abadie, pending confirmation of her nomination.
Following Pierre-Marie Abadie’s appointment at the end of 2024 as head of the Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Authority (ASNR), ANDRA has been without a Director General. On April 7, the President of the Republic put forward Lydie Evrard to take on the role. A General Mining Engineer, she currently serves as Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Safety and Security at the IAEA. Her nomination must now be approved by Parliament, and she will soon be heard by the relevant committees of the National Assembly and the Senate.
A Career Steeped in Nuclear Affairs
Lydie Evrard previously held several positions at the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN), where she served as Commissioner and member of the ASN College from 2017 to 2021. She was also Director of the Waste, Decommissioning, Research Facilities and Fuel Cycle Directorate from 2010 to 2013, and Deputy Head of the Paris Division from 2006 to 2009, where she was responsible for radiation protection oversight and monitoring of sites contaminated by radioactive substances. In addition, she has held several high-level positions in various French institutions in the fields of environmental protection and risk management.
Lydie Evrard is also closely familiar with ANDRA’s core activities. She has worked on the National Plan for the Management of Radioactive Materials and Waste (PNGMDR) and the Cigéo project, which aims to develop a deep geological repository for high-level and intermediate-level long-lived radioactive waste. She has also taken part in public debates on radioactive waste management and contributed to the IAEA Joint Convention, which promotes high international standards in the safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste.■