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managing their radioactivewaste and
anticipate sufficiently far in advance
the construction of new facilities or
renovation work on older facilities.
Low level, long-lived waste
With regard to low level, long-lived
radioactive waste, ASN considers
that progress in the creation of
management solutions is essential.
Andra’s mid-2015 submission of the
report required by the PNGMDR
is a key and strategic step in the
implementation of this solution.
ASN considers that following
the examination of this report in
early 2016, new objectives must
be set by the Government for the
implementation of management
solutions for these wastes. Moreover,
depending on the results of this
report, the waste procedures
should on the one hand create new
storage capacity to avoid delaying
decommissioning operations and, on
the other, speed up the deployment
of alternative strategies if their waste
is not compatible with the Andra
project.
In 2016, ASNwill begin its revision
of the safety guide for the disposal of
low level, long-lived radioactivewaste
This approachwill be implemented
within a pluralistic working group
comprising all the stakeholders.
High and intermediate level,
long-lived radioactive waste
With regard to the Cigéo project for
the disposal of high and intermediate
level, long-lived waste, 2016 will
be marked by Andra’s submission
of the safety options file for Cigéo,
more specifically containing
the project’s safety options, the
technical retrievability options, a
preliminary version of the waste
acceptance specifications and a
project development plan. This file
will be the first overall safety file
for the facility since 2009. It will in
particular undergo an international
peer review, under the aegis of IAEA,
before ASN issues its opinion.
A Bill specifying the procedures for
the creation of a deep geological
reversible disposal facility for high
and intermediate level, long-lived
waste shouldbe debated inParliament
in 2016. It shouldmore specifically
define the notion of reversibility. ASN
will publish its reversibility policy
in 2016.
The Cigéo project is entering the
industrial phase in which the
responsibilities of the various players
and stakeholders will be required
in particular to comply with the
requirements of the Environment
Code and the BNI regime.
ASNrecommends that a re-evaluation
be made of the cost of disposal of
substances liable to be emplaced in
a deep geological disposal facility
but which are not yet part of the
project’s current inventory – spent
fuel in particular.
Management of the former
uranium mining sites and
contaminated sites and soils
With regard to the former uranium
mining sites, ASN will in 2016
attempt to address the concerns
of the Regional Directorates for
the Environment, Planning and
Housing regarding the Areva Mines
action plan for the management of
mining waste rock. It will focus more
specifically on the management
of potentially sensitive cases, in
particular with regard to the radon
risk. It will ensure that any action
taken is completely transparent and
involves the local stakeholders. It
will continue its work on the
management of former mining
sites, together with the Ministry
responsible for the Environment.
With regard to contaminated sites
and soils, ASNwill continue in 2016
to give its opinion on contaminated
site remediation projects, on the
basis of the principles of its policy
published in October 2012 and,
togetherwith theMinistry responsible
for the Environment, will work on
a revision of circular DGS/SDEA1/
DGEC/DGPR/ASN 2008-349 of
17th November 2008 concerning the
responsibility for certain radioactive
waste and radioactive contamination
sites on the basis of operating
experience feedback.
ASNwill also continue its involvement
in international work on these topics,
in particular within IAEA, ENSREG,
WENRA, as well as bilaterally with
its counterparts.
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ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2015
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN 2015