Abstracts ASN Report 2019

ASN welcomed this decision which is in keeping with the stepwise development promoted in the ASN Safety Guide relative to radioactive waste disposal in deep geological formations, and informed Andra of its expectations regarding the content of this ķłņņļĸŅ ĵŌ ĿĸŇŇĸŅ ķĴŇĸķ ӄӌׇ ĸĶĸŀĵĸŅ ӅӃӄӇє • 0ɴƏȅǣȇƏɎǣȒȇ Ȓǔ Ɏǝƺ Cigéo Safety Options Dossier Ļĸ ĹļĿļŁĺ łĹ Ĵ ĴĹĸŇŌ ŃŇļłŁņ ļĿĸņ Ҏ ҏ ŀĴŅľņ ŇĻĸ ņŇĴŅŇ łĹ Ĵ regulatory process (9) . ASN received the DOS for Cigéo ļŁ ŃŅļĿׇӅӃӄӉє At the end of the technical examination phase, the ASN draft opinion underwent public consultation, which took place from ӄׇ ňĺňņŇ Ňł ӄӈׇ ĸŃŇĸŀĵĸŅ ӅӃӄӊє ĹŇĸŅ ĴŁĴĿŌņļŁĺ ŇĻĸ ŅĸņňĿŇļŁĺ ĶłŁŇŅļĵňŇļłŁņё ļņņňĸķ ļŇņ łŃļŁļłŁ łŁ ӄӄׇ ĴŁňĴŅŌ ӅӃӄӋє also sent a letter giving recommendations on the safety options to prevent or limit the risks and asked Andra for complementary studies and substantiations (corrosion phenomena, low-pH concretes, representativeness of the hydrogeological model, surveillance strategy, etc.). The demands made in this letter take into account the suggestions and comments received through the public consultation. The examination of the Cigéo DOS highlighted several issues ŅĸĿĴŇļŁĺ Ňł ņŃĸĶļĹļĶ ĴņŃĸĶŇņ ҎĴŅĶĻļŇĸĶŇňŅĸё ķĸĹļŁļŁĺ łĹ ĻĴōĴŅķņё ŃłņŇі accident management, etc.). Among these subjects, ASN expressed reservations regarding the disposal of bituminised waste in Cigéo . It considers that “ priority should be given to finding ways to neutralise the chemical reactivity of packages of bituminised waste. At the same time, design modification studies should be carried out in order to rule out the risk of runaway exothermal reactions. Whatever the case, characterisation of these packages of bituminised waste by their producers without delay is an essential prerequisite ”. The management of bituminised waste is moreover monitored under the PNGMDR, which demands several studies relative to the characterisation of these packages, their conditions of transport ĴŁķ ŇĻĸ ŇŅĸĴŇŀĸŁŇ ŃłņņļĵļĿļŇļĸņ Ҏ ŅŇļĶĿĸņ ӇӉё ӇӊׇĴŁķ ӇӋׇłĹ ŇĻĸ ŅķĸŅ łĹ Ӆӆׇ ĸĵŅňĴŅŌ ӅӃӄӊҏє Ł ӅӃӄӌё ŀĴķĸ ĴķķļŇļłŁĴĿ ļŁĹłŅŀĴŇļłŁ ŅĸńňĸņŇņ (10) to the waste producers and to Andra further to the examination of the study submitted under Article 46. They focus more specifically on the effect of self-irradiation on the thermal behaviour of the bituminised waste packages, on the long-term swelling considering the long-term behaviour of the Cigéo repository and on the design changes to control the risks associated with the disposal of packages of bituminised waste. The Minister responsible for energy and ASN moreover wanted an independent multidisciplinary assessment drawing on international practices to be conducted on this issue. The conclusions of this assessment were presented to the working group tasked with ŀłŁļŇłŅļŁĺ ŇĻĸ Ҏņĸĸ ĵłŋҏ ļŁ ĸŃŇĸŀĵĸŅ ӅӃӄӌє will ensure that Andra take these conclusions into account in its Creation Authorisation Application (DAC). • IȸȒȅ Ɏǝƺ ɀƏǔƺɎɵ ȒȵɎǣȒȇɀ ƳȒɀɀǣƺȸ ɎȒ Ɏǝƺ ƬȸƺƏɎǣȒȇ ƏɖɎǝȒȸǣɀƏɎǣȒȇ ƏȵȵǼǣƬƏɎǣȒȇ At present, Andra is continuing the Cigéo project design and preparing the requisite authorisation applications. Andra plans filing a Declaration of Public Utility (DUP) application in ĿĴŇĸׇӅӃӄӌє ŁķŅĴ ĻĴņ ĴŁŁłňŁĶĸķ ŇĻĴŇ ļŇ ŊļĿĿ ņňĵŀļŇ ŇĻĸ ĶŅĸĴŇļłŁ ӌє ŅŇļĶĿĸ єׇӈӌӆіӄӇׇłĹ ŇĻĸ ŁʼnļŅłŁŀĸŁŇ łķĸ ņŇļŃňĿĴŇĸņ ŇĻĴŇ Ѣ any person who plans operating a BNI can, before initiating the creation authorisation ŃŅłĶĸķňŅĸё Ĵņľ ĹłŅ ĴŁ łŃļŁļłŁ łŁ ĴĿĿ łŅ ŃĴŅŇ łĹ ŇĻĸ łŃŇļłŁņ ļŇ ĻĴņ ĶĻłņĸŁ Ňł ŃŅłŇĸĶŇ ŇĻĸ ļŁŇĸŅĸņŇņ ŀĸŁŇļłŁĸķ ļŁ ŅŇļĶĿĸ єׇӈӌӆіӄє ё ŇĻŅłňĺĻ an opinion rendered and published under the conditions determined by ASN, indicates the extent to which the safety options presented by the ĴŃŃĿļĶĴŁŇ ĴŅĸ ĴŃŃŅłŃŅļĴŇĸ ĹłŅ ŃŅĸʼnĸŁŇļŁĺ łŅ ĿļŀļŇļŁĺ ŇĻĸ Ņļņľņ ĹłŅ ŇĻĸ ļŁŇĸŅĸņŇņ ŀĸŁŇļłŁĸķ ļŁ ŅŇļĶĿĸ єׇӈӌӆєӄё ĺļʼnĸŁ ŇĻĸ ŃŅĸʼnĴļĿļŁĺ ŇĸĶĻŁļĶĴĿ ĴŁķ ĸĶłŁłŀļĶ ĶłŁķļŇļłŁņє ŀĴŌ ļŁķļĶĴŇĸ ŇĻĸ ĴķķļŇļłŁĴĿ ņŇňķļĸņ ĴŁķ ĽňņŇļ֍ĶĴŇļłŁņ ŇĻĴŇ ŊļĿĿ ĵĸ ŅĸńňļŅĸķ ĹłŅ Ĵ ŃŅłņŃĸĶŇļʼnĸ ĶŅĸĴŇļłŁ ĴňŇĻłŅļņĴŇļłŁ application. It can set a validity period for its opinion. This opinion is communicated to the applicant and to the Minister responsible for nuclear safety ”. 10. The follow-up letters are available on the ASN website: asn.fr/Informer/Dossiers-pedagogiques/La-gestion-des-dechets-radioactifs/Plan-national-de- gestion-des-matieres-et-dechets-radioactifs/PNGMDR-2016-2018. 11. Accessible at cigeo.gouv.fr authorisation application in the second half of 2020. ASN and IRSN make regular progress assessments with Andra to check that the key issues identified in the examination of the previous Andra files have been properly taken into account. Andra must also integrate the results of the bituminised waste review in its creation authorisation application file, particularly with regard to the architecture of the ILW-LL waste disposal cells. Ł ĸŃŇĸŀĵĸŅ ӅӃӄӋё ĴŁ ŁŇĸŅŁĸŇ ŅĸņłňŅĶĸņ ŃĿĴŇĹłŅŀ (11) dedicated to the deep geological disposal project was put on line under Government management with the participation of ASN. The principal aim of this platform is to gather the documents produced by public entities, committees, authorities, non-governmental łŅĺĴŁļņĴŇļłŁņ Ҏ ņҏё ĴņņłĶļĴŇļłŁņ ĴŁķ ĶļŇļōĸŁņє Ļĸņĸ ķłĶňŀĸŁŇņ illustrate the technical and societal issues relating to the Cigéo project. In the public debate relative to the fifth edition of the PNGMDR, the question of Cigéo governance was identified as requiring closer examination, particularly with regard to the implementation of reversibility and the objectives of the industrial pilot phase. The Special Public Debate Committee (CPDP) concludes in particular that civil society must be involved in the governance of Cigéo , particularly during the industrial pilot phase. ASN considers in this respect that civil society’s involvement is provided for ĵŌ ŅŇļĶĿĸ єׇӈӇӅіӄӃіӄׇłĹ ŇĻĸ ŁʼnļŅłŁŀĸŁŇ łķĸё ŊĻļĶĻ ņŇĴŇĸņ that the results of the pilot industrial phase shall be subject to an opinion, notably from the regional authorities concerned. ňŅŇĻĸŅŀłŅĸё ŇĻĸ ĶłŁņļķĸŅņ ŇĻĴŇ ŇĻĸ ŃňĵĿļĶ ŀňņŇ ĴĿņł ĵĸ involved in the steps that have an impact on the reversibility of the facility, particularly package retrievability. ASN considers that the public could participate in the periodic reviews of the ŅĸʼnĸŅņļĵļĿļŇŌ ĸŋĸŅĶļņĸё ŃŅłʼnļķĸķ ĹłŅ ĵŌ ŅŇļĶĿĸ єׇӈӇӅіӄӃіӄׇłĹ ŇĻĸ Environment Code. • Áǝƺ ƬȒɀɎ Ȓǔ Ɏǝƺ ȵȸȒǴƺƬɎ Ł ӄӈׇ ĴŁňĴŅŌ ӅӃӄӉё ļŁ ĴĶĶłŅķĴŁĶĸ ŊļŇĻ ŇĻĸ ŃŅłĶĸķňŅĸ ņŇļŃňĿĴŇĸķ ļŁ ŅŇļĶĿĸ єׇӈӇӅіӄӅׇłĹ ŇĻĸ ŁʼnļŅłŁŀĸŁŇ łķĸ ĴŁķ ĴĹŇĸŅ ĶłŁņļķĸŅĴŇļłŁ łĹ ѡņ łŃļŁļłŁ łĹ ĸĵŅňĴŅŌ ӅӃӄӈׇĴŁķ ŇĻĸ comments of the radioactive waste producers, the Minister responsible for energy issued an Order setting the reference cost of the Cigéo disposal project “ ĴŇ ҫӅӈׇĵļĿĿļłŁ ňŁķĸŅ ŇĻĸ ĸĶłŁłŀļĶ ĶłŁķļŇļłŁņ ŃŅĸʼnĴļĿļŁĺ łŁ ӆӄׇ ĸĶĸŀĵĸŅ ӅӃӄӄё ŇĻĸ ŌĸĴŅ ļŁ ŊĻļĶĻ ŇĻĸ cost evaluation work began ”. This Order also specifies that the cost must be updated regularly and at least at the key stages of project development (creation authorisation, commissioning, end of “industrial pilot phase”, periodic safety reviews). ׏ِ ג «ƏƳǣȒƏƬɎǣɮƺ ɯƏɀɎƺ ȅƏȇƏǕƺȅƺȇɎ ɀɖȵȵȒȸɎ ǔƏƬǣǼǣɎǣƺɀ • ÁȸƺƏɎȅƺȇɎ Treatment is a fundamental step in the radioactive waste management process. This operation serves firstly to separate the waste into different categories to facilitate its subsequent management, and secondly to significantly reduce the volume of waste. The La Hague plants which process the spent fuel assemblies are involved in this process because they apply a dissolution and ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2019 357 ׏ ٲ ג RADIOACTIVE WASTE AND CONTAMINATED SITES AND SOILS 14