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By B Faucher / Andra

www.andra.fr

INPRO Dialogue Forum on Cooperative Approaches

to the Back-End of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle

Time-frames for geological repositories development

International Atomic Energy Agency

Vienna Thursday May 27th

2015

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Strategy for long-term management is

based on the period of the radionuclides

contained in the waste

A

c

t

i

v

i

t

y

Time

Limit transfer Contain and Isolate

300 years for surface

disposal

Some 105 years for

geological disposal

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The analysis of a failed siting attempt paved the way

to an up-to-date successful process

“Learning from failures”

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Demonstrations

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A new “staged” approach

by introducing a volunteering & staged transparent

political decision-making process

coupled with scientific and safety requisites

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Time frames and agenda set by Law

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December 1991 Research Waste Act

first intervention of the parliament

in the nuclear-related issues

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Based on the hearings carried out by MP Bataille and

addressing the legitimate issues presented, such as

• An R&D programme over 15 years with 3

alternatives as a base for the decision-making process

•transparency and access to information from any

sources (CLIS),

• independence of the evaluator (CNE) &

independence of the WMO,

• Option of reversibility

• stepwise political decision-making process

involving the local level (votes of local councils),

• inventory of radioactive waste

• no final disposal of foreign radioactive waste

• socio-economic development scheme managed by

the local level.

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2006 1991 2005

General schedule

Time frame n°1 (1991 – 2006)

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• MP Bataille mission in 1993 with 4 volunteering departments,

• Public confidence based on guaranties brought by 1991 Waste Act, notably :

• no disposal of foreign waste (only R&D programme for “French waste”)

• decision-making process with participation of local communities

• Siting, public confidence building

• R&D + experimentations in URL with positive

conclusion on basic feasibility

• long-term safety approach & assessment

• Reporting to the national level by 2005

• Political decision: geological disposal is the

reference solution

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Local decisions during this first phase

at public inquiry (siting confirmation)

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Opposed = 3 Favourable = 30

Local municipality councils votes

(1997)

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Request of a local council before accepting

the URL siting

For instance in the 1997 vote of the

Cirfontaines-en-Ornois municipality council

requesting specifically:

R&D programme fully completed on the 3 venues (P&T, long-

term storage and conditioning, geological disposal) as

prescribed by the December 1991 Waste Act

URL open to visitors

Reversibility compulsory

Municipality associated to the outreach scheme management,

notably in terms of:

Local hiring and subcontracting during the URL construction

and operating phases

The outreach scheme must not mean a reduction of the

current public grants and subsidies

Previous consultation of the local populations and vote of

the municipality council before any future decision

concerning geological disposal in the site

Result of the council vote: out of 9 councillors, 7 in favour, 1 abstention, 1 against

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2006 2013 2015 2017 1991 2005

General schedule

Time frame n°2 (2006 -2020)

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• From basic feasibility to file application & licencing

• Engineering studies, notably for operation (demonstrators, technological

feasibility/optimization, safety and detailed disposal design

• Continuous R&D with more feedback from URL experimentation over larger periods

• Public debate with more involvement of civil society (governance, reversibility,

waste inventory)

• Cost & provisions issues

2020

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For such long time-frames, two important

“management instruments” were prescribed by the

2006 Planning Act

The National Inventory of Radioactive Materials and Waste

The National Plan for the Management of Radioactive Materials and

Waste

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Objectives of the National

Inventory of Radioactive Materials

and Waste

The 2 major objectives of the National Inventory are the following :

• Providing a detailed current situation (waste types types,

quantities, conditioning, locations, storage, disposal, management

routes, foreign waste*) ;

• Synthetic overview of the current situation of radioactive materials

and waste, with forecasts according to contrasting scenarios

(forward-looking management instrument)

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* 2006 Planning Act (article 8-I) reconfirmed that no radioactive waste originating from a foreign country

or from the processing of foreign SF shall be disposed of in France

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Preparation of the next version of the National

Plan for Management of Radioactive Materials

and Waste (PNGMDR)

http://www.french-nuclear-safety.fr/index.php/English-version/References/National-plan-on-management-of-radioactive-materials-and-waste-PNGMDR

The French National Plan for Management of

Radioactive Materials and Waste (PNGMDR)

• The third version : drafted in 2012 for a publication in

2013

• Confirmation of the actions started within the former

plan

• Basic content :

• Inventory

• Description of existing routes

• Studies from former plan

• New needs as defined during WG meetings

• But, some changes :

• A new framework according to

• thematic issues,

• report by Paliamentary Office (OPECST)

• EU Waste Directive

• Cost assessment for the financing of dismantling

& waste management

• Key performance indicators to monitor the progress of

the implementation

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Major issues now in debate

and concerning the operational phase

Of course, safety, both in operation and over the long term, is a

permanent issue and the pilot phase shall provide answers and

participate to public-confidence building

• The need of a “Master Plan” with waste deliveries and disposal,

state-approved and drawn up in consultation with

stakeholders (Andra action taken in line with the 2013 Public

Debate conclusions)

• The governance, though the involvement of civil society in

decision-making regarding Cigéo (eg in relation with above)

• The cost and the financing of the project and therefore the

long-term liabilities

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And once Cigéo in operation and after …..

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2006 2013 2015 2017 2025 1991 2005 2020

General schedule

Time frame n°3 (2020 - 2150)

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2028 ?

• Beginning of the operational phase

• Pilot phase with tests (public confidence-building)

• Continuous monitoring

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Cigéo in operation

Scheduled during some 130 years for the current inventory and the current fleet,

so up to 2150

• Regular review of the Master Plan, which will be a genuine disposal instrument

for the whole operational period

• Possible evolution of disposal engineering designs (included in the

reversibility approach)

• Continuous monitoring

• Regular review by regulator as it is the case for any nuclear installation in

France

• Any extension of Cigeo (volumes, radioactivity) above the file application and

therefore the repository license figures means a new licensing process

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Cigéo closure

Time frame n°4 (2150 ?)

Final closure of Cigéo shall only be authorized by passing a

new act

But at that time, we shall benefit from some 150 years of

monitoring (URL + Cigéo)

Demonstration of the long-term safety of the repository over a

century

Public Confidence if the long-term safety

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Cigéo in operation and closure

The financing issue

In France, the financing of long-term charges is carried out by

waste producers through provisions:

• Assessment of long-term charges by waste producers by waste producers

every 3 years

And

• Reporting every 3 years to the Authority

•+ Audit by an independent commission every 3 years

Due to uncertainty with timeframes over a century (cost

assessment, , provisions security/liquidity, discount

rate/inflation, etc) , level of provisions must be adapted and

eventually revised

Long-term liabilities must be born by waste producers as long as

possible 20

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Thank you and your questions are welcome

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