Deep geological disposal facility for radioactive waste in ... · Public debate of 15 May to 15 october 2013 suMMary of project owner file cigeo Project Deep geological disposal facility

Public debate of 15 May to 15 october 2013

suMMary of project owner file

cigeo ProjectDeep geological disposal facility for radioactive waste in Meuse/Haute-Marne

finding a safe long-terM ManageMent solution

france has generated high-level waste (HlW) and intermediate-level, long-lived waste (ilW-ll) for several decades now. in 2006, parliament decided that it was up to the current generation to take action right away to find a definitive management solution to avoid placing the burden of dealing with radioactive waste on future generations. in june 2006, an act was passed adopting deep geological disposal as the

solution for HlW and ilW-ll. it also required that disposal should be reversible for at least 100 years. andra has been assigned the task of studying the design of the repository and its location on the Meuse/Haute-Marne site.

the choice of deep geological disposal was largely based on the results of fifteen years of research, starting with an initial act passed on 30 december 1991, defining a research programme for studying various solutions for disposing of this waste. could the quantity of waste be reduced and could it be made less hazardous (e.g. by partitioning/transmutation)? could it be stored in buildings that would stand the test of time and remain intact for several centuries (long-term storage)? could it be definitively isolated from humans and the environment by being disposed of deep underground (deep geological disposal)? after assessing the results of this research, the asn - france's nuclear watchdog - and the country's national assessment board (cne) came to the conclu-sion that deep geological disposal was the only defini-tive management solution that was safe in the long term. these results were presented during an initial public debate.

Every year, France generates tens of thousands of cubic metres of radioactive waste. This waste comes from various sectors, including nuclear power generation, defence, industry, healthcare or

research.

At present, two disposal facilities - or repositories - manage 90% of the volume of radioactive waste generated every year. For safety reasons, the remaining 10% cannot be disposed of at existing surface facilities. Some of this waste, known as high-level waste and intermediate-level long-lived waste, is highly radioactive and can remain hazardous for several hundred thousand years. A special solution must be found for it. After years of research and studying and assessing various solutions, Parliament opted for deep geological disposal and asked Andra to design Cigeo, a deep geological disposal facility for radioactive waste.

wHy cigeo?

it is tHe vieW of tHe asN tHat deeP geological disPosal is tHe oNly loNg term solution possible.ASN notice of 1 February 2006.

02

a long-terM project1991The “Bataille Act” was passed, setting out three main lines of research for the highest-level radioactive waste.

1994-1996Andra carried out geological investigations to locate suitable geological sites.

1998The French Government opted to build an underground research laboratory on the Meuse/Haute-Marne site.

2005Andra demonstrated that it was both feasible and safe to build a deep geological disposal facility on the Meuse/Haute-Marne site.

2005-2006Public debate on the management of highest-level waste.

2006The Act of 28 June was passed, adopting reversible deep geological disposal as the solution for this type of waste.

2009/2010The Government approved the 30 km² underground area suggested by Andra for studying the installation of Cigeo's underground facilities.

2011The industrial design phase for Cigeo was kicked off.

2013 Public debate on Cigeo.

2015 Cigeo repository licence application is filed by Andra.

2015/2018The repository license application is reviewed and an act is passed to lay down reversibility conditions relating to Cigeo.

2018A public inquiry is held before granting the repositorys licence for Cigeo.

2019*Construction work begins on Cigeo facilities.

2025*Cigeo will be commissioned subject to approval by the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN).

2025/2030*Startup phase.

2030*First report.

2030* and beyond: Cigeo gradually developed with periodic safety reviews every ten years.

*Calendar subject to granting of repository licence

Radioactive waste becomes less hazardous over time as a result of a natural process called radioactive decay. The length of the decay process varies with the type of waste and can range from a few hundred to several hundred thousand years. The principle of disposal consists in isolating radioactive waste to ensure that the radioactivity in contact with humans and the environment presents no health risk. Waste repositories are therefore adapted to the type of radioactive waste for which they are designed. In the case of long-lived waste, repositories are built several hundred metres underground in rock formations that act as a natural barrier over very long periods of time, when man-made structures are not adequate.

Have otHer countries opted for tHe saMe solution as france?

all countries using nuclear power have adopted deep geological disposal as the final management solution for their highest-level waste. like france, many countries, including belgium, canada, china, finland, germany, sweden, switzerland, the united Kingdom and the united states, have already begun research in this area.

a european directive issued on 19 july 2011, stipulates that, at this time, deep geological disposal represents the safest and most sustainable option as the end point of the management of high-level waste.

summary of project owner documentation /// andra 2013 03

wHat type of waste iN cigeo?

waste voluMes for disposal

cigeo is intended solely for waste generated by existing nuclear facilities. it is primarily designed for HlW and ilW-ll generated over the past few decades as well as future waste resulting from the dismantling of existing facilities, irrespective of future energy choices, and from reprocessing existing spent fuel.

cigeo is also designed to handle waste generated by existing facilities in the future. the current reference scenario for cigeo's design assumes that spent fuel reprocessing will continue and that existing nuclear facilities will have operating lives

of 50 years. the waste generated by nuclear facilities currently under construction is also taken into account.

the volumes of waste to be disposed of at the cigeo facility are estimated at:

• about 10,000 m3 of Hlw (approximately 60,000 packages)

• about 70,000 m3 of ilw-ll (approximately 180,000 packages).

these volumes correspond to the amounts of waste conditioned by their generators. as a precaution, provision is made for spare capacity at cigeo to allow for waste from the operation and possible dismantling of a second ePr (about 200 m3 of HlW and 500 m3 of ilW-ll) and any waste that cannot be disposed of at the near-surface repository currently being studied by andra (roughly 20% of ilW-ll for disposal).

the inventory authorised for cigeo will be determined by the decree granting the repository licence. any significant change shall be subject to a new licencing process.

60% of ilW-ll aNd 30% of HlW iNteNded for cigeo already exist

The high-level waste (HLW) and intermediate-level, long-lived waste (ILW-LL) intended for Cigeo comes mainly from the nuclear power industry and related research and, to a lesser degree, from the defence

activities.

It accounts for about 3% of existing radioactive waste in France in terms of volume and more than 99% of the total radioactivity of this waste.

HLW is mainly the result of reprocessing spent fuel from nuclear power plants. It is mixed with molten glass paste then poured into stainless steel containers.

There are various types of ILW-LL. It can be fuel assembly structural components or residues from nuclear facility operation. It is placed in metal or concrete containers.

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an adaptable disposal facility

cigeo is designed to adapt to any changes in france's energy policy and their impact on the type and volume of the waste generated by existing facilities as a result. given the existing volume of waste to be disposed of, the impact of a change in french energy policy would not affect cigeo's operation until sometime around 2070.

could spent fuel be disposed of if reprocessing were to stop?

in order to allow for this eventuality, andra studied deep geological disposal of spent fuel and demonstrated its feasibility in 2005. the agency continues to carry out research in this area. in particular, and as a precautionary measure, it verifies whether the design principles adopted for cigeo remain compatible with the assumption of direct disposal of spent fuel if it were ever to be considered as waste.

wHat is done witH Hlw and ilw-ll today?

until cigeo is commissioned, existing packages of HlW and ilW-ll are placed in temporary dry storage in buildings on their site of origin. more than 40,000 m3 of waste is already stored in this way.

La Hague

Marcoule Cadarache

Bugey*

disposal of foreign waste is forbidden by law. cigeo is iNteNded solely for freNcH Waste.

Vitrified HLW packages (height: 1.30 m; diameter: 43 cm; weight: 500 kg approx.)

Concrete ILW-LL package (height: 1.50 m; diameter: 1 m; weight: 2 tonnes approx.)

* Site under construction

Main Hlw and ilw-ll storage sites

summary of project owner documentation /// andra 2013 05

package receiving and preparation zone

Waste packages will be received, inspected and prepared for disposal at a surface installation covering some 200 hectares.

underground work support zone

a surface installation covering some 240 hectares will be used for mining activities and building underground structures and for muck piles. Nearly 40% of this will be used as backfill when closing the repository.

raMp

the waste packages will then be transferred by funicular rail to a ramp.

sHafts

five vertical shafts will be used for transferring personnel, equipment and vehicles, bringing muck to the surface and ventilating the underground structures.

underground facility

the underground facility will be divided into different zones for each type of waste. it will be built in gradual steps and will cover a foot-print of 15 km² after 100 years of operation.

for a NeW Nuclear reactor coNsidered over its eNtire oPeratiNg life, tHe cost of radioactive Waste disPosal

is aPProximately 1 to 2%of tHe total cost of electricity ProductioN

HowWill cigeo oPerate?

If its licence is granted, the repository will operate for more than 100 years and be expanded as needed. It will consist of two surface installations. One of these will be used to mine activities and build the necessary

underground structures. The other will be used to receive, inspect and prepare waste packages for disposal. The packages will then be transferred to the underground facility 500 metres below the ground. To ensure that the waste is confined over very long periods of time with no need for human intervention, the underground structures at Cigeo will then be closed. Closure will be a gradual process. The depth, design and construction of Cigeo in impermeable argillaceous rock within a stable geological environment will make it possible to protect the waste from human activities and natural phenomena on the surface and definitively isolate radioactive waste from humans and the environment.

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A REvERSIBLE DISPOSAL FACILITy

cigeo is designed to be reversible for at least 100 years. in order to meet this requirement by Parliament, andra has taken technical measures that not only allow future generations to retrieve the waste packages if necessary, but also to decide on the future of the repository (continued operation, possible changes, start of closure procedure, etc.) at any time up to definitive closure and without compromising its safety.

130

m

500

m

The repository will be built at a depth of 500 metres in an impermeable layer of clay more than 130 m thick.

summary of project owner documentation /// andra 2013 07

wHere willcigeo be located?

THE MEuSE/HAuTE-MARNE SITE WAS SELECTED FOR ITS IDEAL GEOLOGICAL CONDITIONS

the meuse/Haute-marne site studied lies in the eastern sector of the Paris basin, which is a geologically simple domain. furthermore, the Paris basin is a highly stable geological environment characterised by low seismicity. studies revealed an impermeable, uniform, fault-free layer of clay dating back 160 million years, the properties of which were compatible with the confinement of the substances contained in radioactive waste.

location of surface installtions

the surface installation used to receive, inspect and prepare waste packages for disposal would be located in a zone straddling the Meuse and Haute-Marne districts (ringed in blue on the map), in the vicinity of the underground research laboratory and along a secondary road. if this choice is confirmed, the zone can be connected by rail.

for the surface installation used to mined the underground structures and located directly above the underground facility, several location scenarios in the Meuse district have been considered. two of these are proposed (scenarios 2 and 3) as they offer the advantage of being located in the centre of the zone where the underground installation will be built.

location of tHe underground installation

the underground installation would be located in the south of the meuse, a few kilometres from andra's underground research laboratory, in a 30 km² zone in the clay layer, 500 metres below the surface. many geological surveys have been made of this zone.

If its licence is granted, Cigeo will be located in a zone straddling the Meuse and Haute-Marne districts, in the clay layer that has already been studied to a large extent by the underground laboratory. Scientific and

technical studies, and many meetings and discussions with local stakeholders in recent years, have all made it possible to identify the exact sites for locating Cigeo's various facilities.

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How were tHe sites defined?

studies and surveys were carried out in collaboration with local stakeholders for several years to identify areas that would provide a suitable location for cigeo. this work considered many criteria, including scientific and technical criteria related to safety (thickness of the clay layer, depth, etc.) and criteria related to land use such as flood zones, urbanised areas, protected natural areas and flyover zones, etc.

summary of project owner documentation /// andra 2013 09

cigeo, uNder WHat coNditioNs?

guaranteeing safety at cigeo

the basic aim of cigeo is to protect man and the environment from radioactive waste over very long periods of time. cigeo is designed to remain safe during its construction and operation and after closure. the approach is based on a large number of measures designed to avoid uncontrolled dispersion of radioactivity, ensuring that the quantity of radioactivity to which workers and local populations are exposed remains very low and does not mean a health risk.

to ensure the safety of the facility throughout its operating life, andra identified, right from the design phase, all the potential hazards that could have an impact (natural hazards, fire, explosion, failures, etc.) in order to eliminate them if possible, prevent them and reduce the probability of their occurrence. in spite of these measures, andra assumes that potential accident situations could occur and provides for additional measures to control the situation and minimise its impact. inspection and monitoring systems will be set up to detect any malfunction.

after closure of the repository, safety must be ensured passively and require no human intervention. this principle depends in particular on the choice of the clay host rocks and repository design. monitoring will nevertheless continue after closure, and actions will be implemented to create a perpetual reminder of the facility’s existence.

andra keeps a constant watch over safety performance at cigeo, right from the design stage. the agency's safety-related activities are regularly assessed by the asN, the french Nuclear safety authority. as at all nuclear facilities, safety at cigeo will continue to be regularly assessed by the asn once the repository is commissioned.

T he Cigeo project proposed by Andra for public debate was brought about by a dedicated team of men and women whose unfailing efforts and keen sense of responsibility have helped, in

their individual fields of expertise, to develop the safest solutions for present and future generations, in line with the precautionary principle. As it has always done in the regions where it has worked for several decades, Andra advocates transparency and undertakes to be attentive to the local population's concerns and needs. With the participation of all the stakeholders, every effort is and will be made to consider the host community, the environment and the present and future populations involved.

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developing tHe Host coMMunity

the construction of cigeo on the meuse/Haute-marne site requires preparing its host environment.

for this purpose, the gov-ernment has tasked the Prefecture of the meuse dis-tricts with coordinating the preparation of an inter-departmental develop-ment plan covering both district (meuse and Haute-marne) in consultation with local stakeholders (local authorities, consular cham-bers, etc.). the purpose of

the plan is to outline initiatives for planning and developing the in-frastructure required for facility operation (means of transport, wa-ter and electricity supplies, digital networks, etc.). it also focuses on employment, training, economic development and drawing new residents to the area. andra and the nuclear energy industrials are also involved in its preparation.

1,300 to 2,300 direct jobs Will be geNerated by cigeo betWeeN 2019 aNd 2025 tHeN 600 to 1,000 over tHe 100 years of oPeratioN.

TRANSPORT OF WASTE PACkAGES

Waste packages are preferably transported by rail to limit risks. during peak operation, this would require about two trains per week, with ten wagons each. trains would arrive and be unloaded in a special railway terminal which would be located either on an existing line, or on the actual cigeo surface facility site, by adding a connection to an existing railway line.

radioactive waste packages will be transported to cigeo in accordance with applicable international regulations and will be subject to frequent inspections.

leaving tHe cHoice to future generations

conditions governing the reversibility of disposal must be determined by law before the repository licence can be granted. regarding reversibility, andra suggests prolonging the step-by-step process initiated under the act of 1991 and continuing to plan milestones for regular dialogue once cigeo is commissioned (review bodies, elected officials, representatives of civil society and waste generators) to prepare decisions relating to the operation and closure of the repository. andra proposes that the first of these meetings be held five years after cigeo is commissioned.

While in operation (and assuming the licence is granted) cigeo will be the source of very slight gaseous discharges that will be channelled, measured and inspected before being dispersed and diluted in the air. these discharges and their limits will be subject to authorisation by the french Nuclear safety authority (asN) and will be strictly monitored during the entire operating phase. an initial assessment, based on pessimistic assumptions, indicates that the impact of these discharges will be approximately 0.01 millisievert per year (msv/an) near the facility, which is well below the regulatory standard of 1 msv/year and less than the impact of naturally occurring radioactivity (2.4 msv/year on average in france). after closure, the facility will have no impact for 100,000 years. under normal conditions, its impact will be in the region of 0.01 msv. under degraded conditions (human intrusion, component failure, etc.), this impact would remain below 0.25 msv.

wHat radiological iMpact would cigeo Have?

summary of project owner documentation /// andra 2013 11

wHat is andra? The French National Radioactive Waste Management Agency is the public agency responsible for developing, implementing and ensuring safe management solutions for all French radioactive waste with a view to protecting present and future generations against the risks associated with such waste.

it is independent of radioactive waste generators and is supervised by the french ministriesf for energy, research and the environment.

the agency employs a workforce of more than 570 whose activities are supervised and defined by law:

• design, scientific research and technological development: designing and implementing radioactive waste management solutions;

• industrial activities: managing all french radioactive waste and operating and monitoring the disposal facilities where it is placed;

• public service and information: collecting radioactive waste from private individuals and local authorities, cleaning up polluted sites, making an inventory of all waste found in france and informing all stakeholders;

• promotion of expertise in france and abroad: developing collaborative work, promoting its own expertise and disseminating scientific and technical culture.

furtHer iNformatioN: coNsult tHe Project oWNer documeNtatioN oN www.debatpublic-cigeo.org

The Cigeo projeCTMeuse/hauTe-Marnereversible geologiCal disposal faCiliTy for radioaCTive wasTes

projeCT owner file publiC debaTe of 15 May To 15 oCTober 2013

radioactive waste ManageMent agency

1-7, rue Jean-Monnet F-92298 Châtenay-Malabry cedex

www.andra.fr/international

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