ASN Report 2015

1.2.5 Evaluation of the nuclear financial costs

The regulatory framework designed to ring-fence the

financing of nuclear facility decommissioning costs or,

for radioactivewaste disposal facilities, the final shutdown,

maintenance and surveillance costs, in addition to the cost

ofmanaging spent fuel and radioactivewaste, is described

in chapter 15 (see point 1.4).

1.2.6 ASN’s international action in the area

of waste

ASN participates in the work of WENRA (Western

European Nuclear Regulators’ Association) aiming

at harmonising nuclear safety practices in Europe

by defining “reference safety levels” which must be

transposed into the national regulations of its member

countries. As such, the WGWD (Working Group on

Waste and Decommissioning) is more specifically

tasked with defining reference levels concerning the

safety of radioactive waste and spent fuel storage and

of radioactive waste repositories. Following the work

already carried out on storage and decommissioning,

ASN has drawn up and presented its evaluation of

the disposal reference levels. A plan of action has

been drawn up for transposition of the levels not

reached to date. It is based more specifically on the

ASN resolutions that will detail the provisions of

the Order of 7th February 2012 defining the general

regulations applicable to BNIs.

Finally, ASN is a participant in the International Atomic

EnergyAgency’s (IAEA)Waste Safety Standards Committee

(WASSC), whose role is to draft and then approve the

international standards, particularly concerning the

management of radioactive waste. It also takes part in the

work of ENSREG (European Nuclear Safety Regulators

Group) group 2 which is assigned to subjects relative

to radioactive waste management.

ASN also participates in projects of a technical nature

with the European Union (SITEX) and IAEA (GEOSAF,

HIDRA).

Lastly, ASN coordinated the authoring of the French

national report on the implementation of the obligations

of the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel

Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste

Management which France sent to the IAEA in

October  2014. This report presents the implementation

of the obligations of the Joint Convention by all the

French actors concerned. It also details the developments

in the European and French regulatory frameworks,

in the spent fuel and radioactive waste management

policies, and the issues raised by the decommissioning

of nuclear facilities. The report also specifies the new

steps taken by France to integrate the lessons learned

from the Fukushima Daiichi accident. It was examined

from 11th to 22nd May 2015 in Vienna.

ASN’s international actions are presentedmore generally

in chapter 7 covering international relations.

1.3 Long-term management

solutions for radioactive waste

1.3.1 Disposal of Very-Low-Level (VLL) waste

CIRES (Industrial Centre for nuclear Waste Collection,

Storage and Disposal), located in the towns of Morvilliers

and La Chaise in the Aube department and operated by

Andra, includes a disposal facility for Very-Low-Level

(VLL) waste. This facility, which has ICPE status, has

been operational since 2003.

At the end of 2015, the volume of waste in the CIRES

repository was about 303,000 m

, or 47% of the

authorised capacity (650,000 m

). The latest production

estimates for VLLwaste indicate that the needs will exceed

the capacity planned for when the centre was designed.

However, the annual VLL waste production streams

have been lower than projected in the last few years.

In 2015, under the 2013-2015 PNGMDR, Andra

submitted a comprehensive industrial scheme meeting

the needs for new VLL waste disposal capacity. ASN

examined this scheme and gave the Government an

opinion on VLL waste management on 18th February

2016.

ASN considers that Andra and the waste producers

must continue their efforts to reduce the quantity of

VLL waste, particularly by optimising its production

and densification. ASN also considers that consolidation

of the VLL waste production projections is a vital step

to guide future choices in the overall optimisation of

the management route. ASN also points out that the

absence of release thresholds for the management of

contaminated, activated or potentially activated waste

must remain the cornerstone of VLL waste management

in France and that reuse of VLL waste is a practice

which must not become commonplace and could only

be permitted as a waiver under certain conditions, first

and foremost in the nuclear sector

. ASN considers

moreover that the possibilities for reusing VLL waste

within the nuclear sector must be fully exploited before

turning to other outlets if necessary.

3. A pluralistic working group (ASN, licensees, government

departments, associations, etc.), mandated by ASN and the DGEC

under the PNGMDR, has identified potential conditions of reuse of

VLL waste. The report submitted in 2015 is available on the ASN

website.

487

CHAPTER 16:

RADIOACTIVE WASTE AND CONTAMINATED SITES AND SOILS

ASN report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2015