1.5

ANDRA national inventory of radioactive waste and reusable materials

In November 2004, ANDRA published the national inventory of radioactive waste and reusable materials. This inventory is an exhaustive list of the waste identified as radioactive throughout France. It also includes a forward-looking part which proposes estimates for the quantities of waste that will be produced by 2010 and by 2020. The ASN is a member of the steering committee for the national inventory of radioactive waste and reusable materials, a new version of which is expected for early 2006.

The following tables present some data extracted from the national inventory published in 2004. The largest volumes concern very low level or short-lived low and intermediate level waste, representing only a few teraBecquerels, which is a minute fraction of the total activity. On the other hand, long-lived, high-level waste will in 2020 represent more than a billion teraBecquerels, for a total volume of a few thousand cubic metres.

Tables 2 and 3:
Stocks of waste and spent fuels, both existing and anticipated by 2010 to 2020 as a result of operation of the installations

Waste categories Existing volumes in 2002 disposed of or stored (m3) Anticipated volumes in 2010 disposed of or stored (m3) Anticipated volumes in 2020 disposed of or stored (m3)
Very low level 108,219 247,981 515,991
Low and intermediate level short-lived 778,322 913,900 1,196,880
Low level - long-lived 44,559 46,581 87,431
Intermediate level - long-lived 45,359 50,207 54,509
High level 1,639 2,521 3,621

  existing quantity in 2002 (t) existing quantity in 2010 (t) existing quantity in
2020 (t)
EDF uranium oxide spent fuel waiting for processing 10,350 11,250 10,850
PWR reactor MOX fuels 520 1,300 2,350

(source: national inventory of radioactive waste and reusable materials - ANDRA 2004)
  1.6

The national radioactive waste and reusable materials management plan (PNGDR-MV)

The preceding paragraphs show the various technical and regulatory aspects of radioactive waste management: categories (according to the disposal method), inventory, regulations at source, and role of the various players. These elements were gradually implemented over the years, as and when inadequacies in various areas were highlighted.

It is clearly obvious that a general framework is needed which, for all radioactive waste and whatever the producers, would guarantee safe and consistent management with the corresponding financing, in particular by defining priorities.

In response to a request from the Parliamentary Office for the assessment of scientific and technological options in 2000, the Nuclear Safety Authority has since 2003 been overseeing the preparation of a national radioactive waste and reusable materials management plan within a wide-ranging working group.

At the meeting of the French cabinet on 4 June 2003, the Minister for Ecology and Sustainable Development officially confirmed his intention to draw up such a plan.

The waste producers (all sectors), the waste disposal facilities, ANDRA, the departments of the ministries concerned, environmental protection associations and representatives of elected officials are invited to take part in these meetings. An initial draft of the national radioactive waste and reusable materials management plan was published on the ASN website for consultation purposes on 13 July 2005, and will be available until the end of 2005.

The plan is based on work designed to identify the waste that exists throughout the country. This mainly concerns the ANDRA national inventory. Interfaces with existing work to designate management channels for long-lived high-level waste, in accordance with the provisions of article L. 542-3 of the Environment Code, are also specified

The PNGDR-MV project therefore proposed a certain number of actions and the corresponding deadlines.

1 ) Revive the search for a disposal site for low-level long-lived waste, so that such a repository would be available in 2012.

2) Those in possession of reusable materials will be required to carry out precautionary studies by 2010 into possible management channels, if these materials were subsequently to be reclassified as waste. A review will be carried out by 2008 by those in possession of reusable materials for which the reuse procedures are still being studied and have never been implemented. These studies will be the subject of a joint analysis by the DGEMP and the ASN.

3) Continue studies into disposal of used sealed sources and their possible reprocessing, so that a management scheme is available by 2008.
The impact of the disposal of used sealed sources with a half-life longer than that of Cs137 in a LL-LL type repository will need to be reviewed by ANDRA by 2007.
Interim storage solutions could be necessary to manage the long-lived sealed sources, in particular for the programme to phase out ion detector use.
The conditions for extension of the sealed source possession period beyond the 10 years set in the Public Health Code will be clarified in 2006, in order to limit the number of scrapped sealed sources.

4) A study will be carried out onto the long-term management of tritiated waste. Together with ANDRA, the CEA will look for the best solutions for the necessary interim decay storage prior to disposal, with proposal of a management strategy by 2008.

5) ANDRA will propose criteria in 2006 for providing aid to a defaulting owner of waste so that it can be recovered and sent either for interim storage, or for disposal.
The conditions for allocation of public funding for these public service duties will be clarified in 2006, in accordance with the requirements of the service level and resources contract between the State and ANDRA for the period 2005-2008. The Government's commissioner (DGEMP) will coordinate the work to be done on this subject between the various administrations concerned and the establishment.
ANDRA will review the conditions in which recovery of radioactive lightning conductors could be accelerated by mid-2006. An estimate of the available storage capacity and qualified personnel requirements for speedier recovery of these radioactive items will be made by ANDRA. This recovery could require regulations which will be specified by the authorities.
By 2007, an estimate will be made of the number of used sealed sources which, for historical reasons, cannot be returned to their supplier. Sources for which possession has been authorised and for which the owners are experiencing temporary difficulties concerning their recovery are not concerned by this measure.
An information campaign targetting the potential holders of these sources could be organised in conditions yet to be defined.

6) By 2008, review the status of the short and long-term management solutions for TENORM (Technologically Enhanced Naturally-Occurring Radioactive Materials) waste.

7) Analyses of the long-term impact of uranium mining residue disposal will be carried out by the repository licensees in conformity with the applicable regulations. An assessment of the results of this study will be made by 2008.

8) The producers of mixed radiological and chemical waste will be required to continue to stabilise and process this waste, relying on ANDRA assessments with regard to any possible disposal.
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