CEA, EDF and Orano have defined future storage needs for all the families of HLW and ILW-LL waste, for the 2040 time-frame. Within this context, CEA, EDF and Orano have also studied how sensitive the storage needs are to shifts in the Cigéo schedule. In its opinion 2020-AV-0369 of 1 December 2020, ASN estimates in this respect that the dates of saturation of the existing storage capacities and the future storage needs until 2040 have on the whole been well identified by the producers. Nevertheless, the storage capacity estimates must be consolidated by all the waste producers, incorporating margins to cope with any contingencies affecting the waste management routes concerned and thereby be able to anticipate the needs for additional storage capacities and the corresponding licensing procedures. Based on a comparative study of the different types of storage submitted by Andra, ASN, in its opinion 2020-AV‑0369 of 1 December 2020, confirmed that near-surface storage facilities did not present significant advantages in terms of nuclear safety and radiation protection over above-ground storage facilities. The PNGMDR 2016-2018 set out several guidelines for the design of HL- and ILW-LL waste storage facilities (significant design margins, simple and modular architecture favouring passive systems, definition of provisions for controlling the ambient storage conditions in normal, incident and accident situations, definition of provisions for monitoring and management of deviations as of the design stage, provisions for preserving the memory, etc.). ASN will be attentive to the integration of these recommendations in the new facilities that will be necessary pending commissioning of Cigéo. The work carried out under the PNGMDR 2022-2026 The PNGMDR 2022-2026 comprises measures to revive discussions on credible or complementary alternatives to deep geological disposal. Therefore, a Committee for assessment and dialogue on alternatives to deep geological disposal, in which ASN is involved, was set up in 2023 in order to provide recommendations for the next edition of the PNGMDR. Reversible deep geological disposal Deep geological disposal is stipulated in Article L. 542-1-2 of the Environment Code, which states that “after storage, ultimate radioactive waste which, for nuclear safety or radiation protection reasons, cannot be disposed of on the surface or at shallow depth, shall be disposed of in a deep geological repository”. The codified Act of 28 June 2006 entrusts Andra with the mission of designing a project for a deep geological repository, which shall be a BNI and therefore, governed by this specific legal system. The principle of this type of disposal Deep geological disposal of radioactive waste consists in emplacing the radioactive waste in an underground facility specially designed for this purpose, complying with the principle of reversibility. The characteristics of the geological layer are intended to confine the radioactive substances contained in this waste. Such a disposal facility – unlike storage facilities – must be designed such that long-term safety is ensured passively, that is to say without depending on human actions (such as monitoring or maintenance activities) which require oversight, the durability of which cannot be guaranteed beyond a limited period of time. Lastly, the depth of the disposal structures must be such that they cannot be significantly affected by the expected external natural phenomena (erosion, climate change, earthquakes, etc.) or by human activities. In 2008, ASN published a safety guide on the final disposal of radioactive waste in a deep geological formation (ASN Guide No. 1) which was an update of the RFS III 2 f of 1991. The conditions for the creation of a reversible deep geological repository for HL- and ILW-LL radioactive waste were specified by the codified Act of 25 July 2016, which defines the principle of reversibility, introduces the industrial pilot phase before complete commissioning of Cigéo and brings schedule adaptations concerning the deployment of Cigéo. This Act defines reversibility as “the ability, for successive generations, to either continue the construction and then the operation of successive sections of a disposal facility, or to reassess previous choices and change the management solutions. Reversibility is materialised by the progressive nature of the construction, the adaptability of the design and the operational flexibility of placing radioactive waste in a deep geological repository which can integrate technological progress and adapt to possible changes in waste inventory following a change in energy policy. It includes the possibility of retrieving waste packages from the repository under conditions and over a time frame that are consistent with the strategy for operation and closure of the repository”. In its opinion 2016-AV-0267 of 31 May 2016 relative to the reversibility of the deep geological disposal of radioactive waste, ASN had considered that the principle of reversibility implied a requirement for adaptability of the facility and retrievability of the packages during a period governed by law. The Decree of 9 December 2022, relative to the requirements of the PNGMDR 2022-2026 specifies certain principles applicable to Cigéo, and more particularly those set out in in Articles D. 542-91 and D. 542-92 of the Environment Code. These specify that the inventory to be adopted by Andra for the studies and research conducted for the design of the Cigéo disposal facility shall include a reference inventory and a reserve inventory. The reference inventory takes account of all HL- and ILW-LL waste already produced and to be produced by the existing nuclear facilities (nuclear power plants, research centres, etc.), as well as that to be produced by the authorised nuclear facilities (Flamanville EPR, ITER, Jules Horowitz experimental reactor), assuming an average reactor operating life of 50 years. The reserve inventory considers uncertainties, particularly related to changes in energy policy. For waste from the future reactors which are planned for construction in France (in particular the first six EPR 2), Andra shall identify the waste liable to be included in the reserve inventory and ensure that the Cigéo adaptability studies are able to accommodate this waste, without compromising the fundamental assumptions of the project as outlined in the DAC application currently under review (see next page). Underground laboratory of Meuse/Haute-Marne Studies on deep geological disposal necessitate research and experiments in an underground laboratory. Andra has been operating such an underground laboratory within the Bure municipality since 1999. In the context of the studies on the deep geological disposal, ASN issues recommendations concerning the research and experiments conducted in the laboratory, and by random sampling during follow-up inspections ascertains that they are carried out using processes that guarantee the quality of the results. Technical reviews Pursuant to the Act of 30 December 1991, and then pursuant to the Act of 28 June 2006 and the PNGMDR, Andra has carried out studies and submitted reports on deep geological disposal. These reports have been examined by ASN – referring in particular to the Safety Guide of 2008 – and it has issued an opinion on them. ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2023 375 • 15 • Radioactive waste and contaminated sites and soils 15 05 08 11 04 14 06 07 13 AP 03 10 02 09 12 01
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NjQ0NzU=