ASN Report 2018

1.2.4  –  The National Radioactive Material and Waste Management Plan (PNGMDR) Article L. 542-1-2 of the Environment Code, amended by the abovementioned Ordinance 2016-128 or 10 February 2016, defines the objectives of the PNGMDR: ∙ ∙ draw up the inventory the existing radioactive material and waste management methods and the chosen technical solutions; ∙ ∙ identify the foreseeable needs for storage or disposal facilities and specify their required capacities and the storage durations; ∙ ∙ set the general targets, the main deadlines and the schedules enabling these deadlines to be met while taking into account the priorities it defines; ∙ ∙ determine the targets to meet for radioactive waste for which there is as yet no final management solution; ∙ ∙ organises research and studies into the management of radioactive materials and wastes, by setting deadlines for the implementation of new management modes, the creation of facilities or the modification of existing facilities. The PNGMDR is prepared by the DGEC of the Ministry responsible for Energy and by ASN on the basis of the work of a pluralistic working group chiefly comprising producers of radioactive waste, licensees of the facilities managing this waste, the assessment and oversight authorities and environmental protection associations. Practically, the PNGMDR is a document – over 200 pages in the 2016-2018 issue – that provides a detailed assessment of radioactive material and waste management methods, whether the management route is operational or yet to be implemented, then makes recommendations and sets objectives. ASN has contributed to it through seven opinions issued in 2016, the main lines of which have been included in the plan. The Decree 2017-231 and Order of 23 February 2017 set out respectively the prescriptions of the Environment Code and the studies to conduct in the coming years. There are 83 such studies, each with a coordinator and a completion deadline. The PNGMDR is accompanied by a summary presenting a concise and educational overview of the management of radioactive materials and waste and the main recommendations of the plan. An English version of the PNGMDR and its summary has also been published. In 2017 and 2018, ASN kept track of the progress of the PNGMDR 2016-2018 work, more specifically through its participation in the PNGMDR working group. In application of Article L. 122-1 of the Environment Code, the PNGMDR 2016-2018 has been the subject of an environmental assessment and an option from the Environmental Authority, followed by a public consultation on the website of the Minister responsible for Energy. The Environmental Authority’s recommendations and the contributions received during the public consultation were taken into account in the drafting of the plan and the development of regulatory requirements. In addition, pursuant to Article L. 542-1-2 of the Environment Code, the plan was transmitted to Parliament which referred it to the OPECST (Parliamentary Office for the Evaluation of Scientific and Technological Choices) for evaluation before being made public. (see p. 20 of this report). 1.3  ̶  Long-term management of waste - existing or projected disposal facilities 1.3.1  –  Very-low-level waste Very low-level (VLL) waste comes essentially from the operation, maintenance and decommissioning of nuclear facilities. It consists mainly of inert waste (rubble, soil, sand) and metal waste. Its specific activity is usually less than 100 Bq/g and can even be below the detection threshold of certain measuring devices. Cires, the industrial centre for collection, storage and disposal, includes a facility for the disposal of VLL waste. This facility, which has ICPE status, has also been operational since August 2003. At the end of 2018, Cires contained 376,153 m 3  of VLL waste, which represents 57.9% of its authorised regulatory capacity (650,000 m 3 ). According to the national inventory produced by Andra, the quantity of VLL waste resulting from decommissioning of the existing nuclear facilities will be about 2,200,000 m 3 . According to current forecasts, the centre could be filled to maximum capacity between 2025 and 2030. 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 in guiding future choices in the overall optimisation of the management route. As authorised disposal capacities are expected to have been reached by 2025-2030, ASN considers that Andra must examine the possibility and conditions of increasing the volume capacity of The role of ASN in waste management The public authorities, and ASN in particular, are attentive to the fact that there must be a management route for all waste and that each waste management step is carried out under safe conditions. ASN thus considers that the development of management routes appropriate to each waste category is fundamental and that any delay in the search for long-term waste disposal solutions will increase the volume and size of the storage areas in the facilities and the inherent risks. ASN takes care, particularly within the framework of the PNGMDR but also by inspecting the installations and regularly assessing the licensees’ waste management strategy, to ensure that the systemmade up by all these routes is complete, safe and coherent. This approach must take into account all the issues relating to safety, radiation protection, minimisation of the volume and harmfulness of the waste, while ensuring satisfactory traceability. Finally, ASN considers that this management approach must be conducted in a manner that is transparent for the public and involves all the stakeholders, in a framework that fosters the expression of different opinions. The PNGMDR is thus developed within a pluralistic working group co-chaired by ASN and the DGEC as described in chapter 2. ASN also publishes the PNGMDR, its synthesis, the minutes of the abovementioned working group’s meetings, the studies required by the plan and the associated ASN opinions on its website. 358  ASN report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2018 14 – RADIOACTIVE WASTE AND CONTAMINATED SITES AND SOILS