LES ACTIVITÉS NUCLÉAIRES : RAYONNEMENTS IONISANTS ET RISQUES POUR LA SANTÉ ET L’ENVIRONNEMENT 1.3.2 – Low- and intermediate-level, short-lived waste Low-level and intermediate-level short-lived waste (LL/ILW-SL) – in which the radioactivity comes primarily from radionuclides with a half-life of less than 31 years – results essentially from the operation of nuclear facilities and more specifically from maintenance activities (clothing, tools, filters, etc.). It can also come from the post-operational clean-out and decommissioning of these facilities. The majority of LL/ILW-SL waste is placed in surface disposal facilities operated by Andra. Once these facilities are closed, they will be monitored for a period set at 300 years by Basic Safety Rule RFS-I.2. The facility safety analysis reports – which are updated periodically, including during the monitoring phase – must show that at the end of this phase, the activity contained in the waste will have reached a residual level such that human and environmental exposure levels are acceptable, even in the event of a significant loss of the containment properties of the facility. There are two facilities of this type in France, the Manche repository (CSM – BNI 66), which operated from 1969 until 1994 and is currently in the closure preparation phase, and the Aube repository (CSA – BNI 149) which is in operation (see “Regional overview” in the introduction to this report). The quantity of LL/ILW‑SL waste emplaced in the CSA repository totalled 387,000 m3 at the end of 2024, which represents 38.7% of the facility’s maximum authorised capacity. Added to this quantity is the waste emplaced in the CSM, which totals 527,225 m3. The total quantity of LL/ILW-SL waste emplaced in the Andra facilities is therefore about 914,000 m3, to be compared with the quantity of 994,000 m3 produced at the end of 2023. This difference between the quantity produced and the quantity stored is explained by the fact that waste cannot be stored immediately: it has to be packaged and then placed in interim storage, before being stored. According to the data of the national inventory drawn up by Andra, this waste will represent a maximum volume of 2,000,000 m3 on completion of decommissioning of the existing facilities. According to the estimates made by Andra in 2016 at the time of the second periodic safety review of the CSA, this facility could reach its maximum filling capacity by 2060 instead of 2042 as initially forecast, this new estimate being based on better knowledge of the future waste and the waste delivery schedules. 1.3.3 – Low-level long-lived waste Low-level long-lived waste (LLW-LL) waste initially comprised two main types: graphite waste resulting from operation of the GasCooled Reactors (GCRs) and radium-bearing waste from the radium industry and its offshoots. Other types of waste have been added to this category such as certain bituminised wastes, substances containing radium, uranium and thorium with low specific activity, as well as certain disused sealed radioactive sources. Furthermore, a fraction of the waste from the Ecrin facility (BNI 175) operated by Orano in Malvesi (Aude département) produced as from 1 January 2019 is now included in this waste category. The solid waste produced until 31 December 2018, on account of the large volumes it represents, is placed in a specific category of the national inventory called “RTCU” (French acronym standing for “Uranium Fuel Reprocessing Residues”). Putting in place a definitive management solution for this type of waste is one of the objectives defined by the Act of 28 June 2006. Finding such a management solution necessitates firstly having greater knowledge of LLW-LL waste and secondly conducting safety studies on the associated disposal solution. The successive PNGMDRs have set out this objective. ASN also drafted a notice in 2008 giving general safety guidelines concerning the search for a site capable of accommodating LLW-LL. This notice defines the general guidelines to follow as from the phases of looking for a site and designing an LLW-LL waste disposal facility in order to ensure its safety after closure. Storage of a package at the Aube repository (CSA). ASNR Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2025 363 13 12 11 10 09 08 01 05 02 06 03 07 04 A / Z
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