WHAT TO DO WITH
RADIOACTIVE WASTE?
10.1 Design: ASN and IRSN Communications Departments - May 2022
Graphic design and production: www.kazoar.fr - Pictograms: Freepik, Kazoar - Photos: Creativemarc/IStock, Gilles Crampes/BSM International/Médiathèque IRSN
Reproduction prohibited without the agreement of ASN/IRSN. For further information: contact@irsn.fr

WHAT TO DO WITH
RADIOACTIVE WASTE?

THE DIFFERENTTYPES OFRADIOACTIVE
WASTE

Radioactive waste is waste from nuclear
power generation, but also industry, research
and medicine, for which no further use is planned.
It presents risks of varying degrees.

HIGH LEVEL WASTE (HLW):This waste results from theprocessing of nuclear fuel andproduces heat. It has to be cooled inpools for years before its permanent
disposal.
In France, high-level residues arecalcined and then incorporated into
molten glass. They are then cast intoa stainless steel package.

Activity

VERY SHORT-LIVEDWASTE (VSLW):Radioactive waste with a half-life of lessthan 100 days. A large proportion of thiscomes from the medical applications ofradioactivity (diagnosis or therapy).

high level

HLW(aroundseveralbillion Bq/g)

VSLW

intermediatelevel

LILW-SLILW-LL(around one
million to one
billion Bq/g)

LLW-LLlow level

VERY LOW-LEVELWASTE (VLLW):
This waste comes from thenuclear industry, in particularfrom dismantling operations.
It mainly consists of parts ofequipment that has been cut
up and very slightly
contaminated rubble.

(between a few
hundred and amillion Bq/g)very lowlevel

INTERMEDIATE-LEVELWASTE, LONG-LIVED(ILW-LL):
This mainly consists ofhulls and end caps from theprocessing of nuclear fueland of waste from theoperation and maintenanceof power plants.

VLLW(less than
100 Bq/g)< 100 days
VSL: very short lived≤ 31 years

SL: short lived

LOW AND INTERMEDIATE LEVEL WASTE,
SHORT-LIVED (LILW-SL):
This is essentially waste associated with the maintenanceand operation of nuclear installations (clothing, tools,
gloves, filters, etc.). This waste also comes from researchlaboratories, hospitals, universities, etc.
It can be incinerated, melted, coated in a matrix(cement, for example) or compacted. It is usuallycemented in metal or concrete containers.

> 31 years
LL: long lived

LOW-LEVEL WASTE, LONG-LIVED(LLW-LL):
This is mainly:• waste contaminated by radium which wasonce used by the watchmaking industry;• waste from the dismantling offirst-generation nuclear reactors;• waste from the processing of mineralssuch as rare earths used in electronics.

WHO MANAGESWASTE?
The French national radioactive waste agency, Andra.
French law prohibits the disposal of foreign
radioactive waste in France.

ORIGIN OF WASTE
Breakdown by economic sector of the volume of waste(in conditioned equivalent) already disposed of or destined
to be taken over by Andra, by the end of 2020.

The PNGMDR
Scan the QR code to find out
more about the national
radioactive materials and waste
management plan (PNGMDR).

(source: Andra, Essentiels 2022)

60.1% 26.9% 8.9% 3.4% 0.7%

Electronuclear
Research
DefenceNon-electronuclear
industry
Medical10.2 Design: ASN and IRSN Communications Departments - May 2022
Design and production: www.kazoar.fr - Pictograms: Freepik, Kazoar - Illustration: Andra - Photos: H. Samson/ASN, Orano, Frédéric Dano, P. Lesage/Orano, Andra, EDF
Reproduction prohibited without the agreement of ASN/IRSN. For further information: contact@irsn.fr

WHAT TO DO WITH
RADIOACTIVE WASTE?

WHERE IS THE WASTETODAY?

Depending on its type, radioactive waste is either
stored on the site where it was produced or in
dedicated facilities, pending a management
solution, or disposed of in specialised facilities.

BNI 35
TREATMENT AND
CONDITIONING

BNI 74
STORAGE
Storage of irradiatedgraphite liners

CONDITIONING, STORAGE
AND DISPOSAL
Industrial center for waste
collection, storage and disposal(Cires)Liquid effluent
management zone (ZGEL)

BNI: Basic Nuclear Installation
ICPE: Installation classified for the protectionof the environment	Waiting to be commissioned
Under ICPE status
	Under BNI status
Source: ASN report on the stateof nuclear safety and radiation protection
in France in 2018.

BNI 149
CONDITIONING AND DISPOSAL

BNI 66DISPOSAL

Aube disposal site (CSA)

Manchedisposal site (CSM)

LA HAGUE

STORAGESACLAY

TREATMENT,CONDITIONING
AND STORAGE

Tritiated waste storage building

MORVILLIERS SOULAINE-DHUYS

La Haguefacility

ST-LAURENT-DES-EAUX

BNI 173
CONDITIONING AND STORAGEVALDUCBNI 138SORTING

Facility for the conditioning and storageof activated waste (Iceda)

BUGEY

Tricastin facility(formerly Socatri)

CONDITIONING AND STORAGE
RotondeTRICASTINMARCOULE

BNI 175
STORAGEBNI 37-A
TREATMENT AND CONDITIONING

CADARACHE

Contained storage of
conversion residues(Écrin)Solid waste treatment plant (STD)MALVÉSI

BNI 164
STORAGE
Conditioning and storageof radioactive waste (Cedra)

BNI 177
STORAGETREATMENT AND
CONDITIONING

TREATMENT AND
CONDITIONING

Irradiating or alphawaste fromdismantling(Diadem)

CDS

Stema

BNI 160
TREATMENT AND
CONDITIONING

BNI 171
PROCESSING
Advanced effluent management andtreatment workshop (Agate)

Low-level waste treatment
and conditioning centre(Centraco)

VERY SHORT-LIVED WASTE:

LOW-LEVEL WASTE, LONG-LIVED:

This waste is stored at the production site for the timenecessary to allow the radioactivity to decay before it canbe eliminated.

Volume already produced: approximately 93,800 m3
Most LLW-LL waste has already been produced or will be produced during thedecommissioning of first-generation nuclear power plants. Today, this waste is disposedon its production sites, on sites that have historically hosted radioactive activities,
or at Morvilliers.

VERY LOW-LEVEL:
Volume already produced: 586,000 m3*This waste is disposed of in a specialised site at Morvilliers(Aube), operated by Andra. The total volume,
after decommissioning of the fleet of nuclear power plants,
is estimated at around 2.2 million m3.

LOW AND INTERMEDIATE LEVEL WASTE, SHORT-LIVED:
Volume already produced: 971,000 m3*
They are disposed of in two surface repositories:
one in La Manche, which closed in 1994, and one in Aube,
which opened in 1992 and is operated by Andra.

INTERMEDIATE-LEVEL WASTE, LONG-LIVED:
Volume already produced: approximately 42,900 m3*
Pending the creation of a deep disposal facility, this waste is most commonly stored
on the sites where the packages are produced.

HIGH-LEVEL WASTE: 
Volume already produced: approximately 4,190 m3*
Pending the creation of a deep disposal facility, this waste is usually stored on the sites
where the packages are produced.
* In 2020 (source: Andra, Essentiels 2022).

STORAGEOR DISPOSAL?

Andra

Storage and disposal
are two different activities.

Find out more about Andra's national
inventory by scanning the QR code.

DISPOSAL IS
DEFINITIVE
Waste must be able to remain
safe in its disposal spaceindefinitely, without humanintervention.

STORAGE IS
TEMPORARYDEBATE

Waste is placed in a facility fora set period of time. It requires
upkeep and human intervention.
The waste is stored to be put on
hold, grouped together, or to wait
for its radioactivity or temperature
to decrease.

WHAT TO DO

WITH WASTE?
According to a study carried out in 2019 by IRSN, only 9% of French people
would agree to live near a radioactive waste disposal facility, compared with
28% who would agree to live near a mobile phone base station and 13% in aflood zone.

Nuclear waste exists today and every effort must be made to design the safest
solution for its disposal.
The waste produced today needs to be managed so that the problem is notpassed on to future generations.

10.3 Design: ASN and IRSN Communications Departments - May 2022
Design and production: www.kazoar.fr - Pictograms: Freepik, Kazoar
Reproduction prohibited without the agreement of ASN/IRSN. For further information: contact@irsn.fr

WHAT TO DO WITH
RADIOACTIVE WASTE?

DISPOSALOF HIGH AND

INTERMEDIATE-LEVEL
LONG-LIVED WASTE
The Cigéo project (Industrial center for geologicaldisposal) is dedicated to the deep geological disposal ofhigh and intermediate level long-lived radioactive waste,in order to protect human health and the environment
from the radiological and chemical risks associated withthis waste for hundreds of thousands of years. The chosensite is located on the border between the Meuse andHaute-Marne, where a research laboratory already exists.

THE CIGÉO PROJECTIN DETAIL

Cigéo
project

UNDERGROUND LABORATORY

HOW WILLCIGÉO WORK?

The Cigéo underground facility
will develop gradually over a periodof centuries.

Cigéo will comprise surface
facilities and one undergroundfacility. The surface facilities
will mainly be used to receive
and inspect waste packages.
The underground facility,
planned at a depth of around
500 metres, will cover an areaof around 15 km², in which thewaste packages will be placedin their disposal locations
using robotic devices inhorizontal tunnels called"cells", dug into the heartof a layer of argillite.

SHAFT AREA
This area, located directly
above the underground facility,
will be used to support the
excavation and constructionof the underground structures.
Excavated material of thesestructures will be stored in thisarea.

RAMP AREA
This area, a few kilometresaway from the work area, willcontain buildings where waste
packages will be received,
checked and prepared before
being transferred to theunderground facility.

SHAFTS
Five vertical shafts will link theunderground facility to thearea dedicated to undergroundworks, to allow the transfer of
personnel, equipment andmachinery, the raising of
excavated material and theventilation of the undergroundfacility.

DOUBLE RAMP
A first ramp will allow waste
packages to be transferred to theunderground facility. A second ramp
will serve as technical access.

These disposal areas will
be developed in a modular
fashion over a period of overa hundred years to enable
the progressive constructionof the cells into which thewaste packages will beplaced. The waste packages
represent a volume of
85,000 m3. Once all the waste
packages have been disposedof, the underground facility
will be closed and the surface
installations dismantled.
A monitoring phase lasting
several hundred years willthen be put in place.

ILW-LL DISPOSAL AREAHLW DISPOSAL AREA

Packages of long-lived intermediate-level
waste will be placed in horizontal disposal
cells several hundred metres long andaround ten metres in diameter.

The high-level waste (HLW)
packages will be placed insteel-lined disposal cells
around 100-meter longand 80 cm in diameter.

Hatch
Disposalchamber
Pusherrobot

UNDERGROUNDFACILITYSpacer:thermalTransfer
decoupling sleeveof packages

The Cigéo undergroundfacility will develop as
the operation progresses,
according to need, and will
be made up of different
zones.

Disposal
package

HIGH-LEVEL WASTE
PACKAGES

Disposal
package
Handlingcell

LONG-LIVEDINTERMEDIATE-LEVELWASTE PACKAGES

These packages will be
stored in metal-lined disposal
cells around 100-meter longand 80 cm in diameter.

These packages will be
stored in horizontal storage
cells several hundred metreslong and around ten metresin diameter.

A HIGHLY CONTROLLED
PROJECT 
ASN is involved in drawing up regulations on radioactive waste management, andcontrols the safety of disposal facilities from design to decommissioning.
Upon request of ASN, IRSN assesses the applications submitted under the law or the
PNGMDR (National Plan for the Management of Radioactive Materials and Waste) byAndra, the project owner, as the project progresses.

The Cigéo timetable
is available by scanning
this QR code

IRSN issues opinions to ASN. In some cases, it submits its expert report to the standing
advisory group on waste, which reports to ASN.
This group brings together around forty specialists from a variety of backgrounds:
geologists, hydrogeologists, geomechanical engineers, mining specialists, nuclear
safety specialists, etc. It issues opinions and recommendations to ASN.

STAGES IN THE CREATION
OF THE CIGÉO PROJECT
Finalisation andsubmission of theapplication for authorization
to create Cigéo (DAC)

Preliminary
designstudies2012

2013
Publicdebate2014

Submission of
the authorisation
decree (DAC)

Finaldesignstudies

2015

2016

Decree declaring the
project to be in the interestof the public (DUP)

DAC assessment

2017

Safety options
application
Technical options
for retrievability
Draft master plan

20182019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Submissionof the request fora declaration of
public interest(DUP)

Creation
authorisation
decree (DAC)2035
Commissioning
authorisation

2150
Closureof disposal facility
Start of thesurveillance phase

Preparation of
local developments

10.4 Design: ASN and IRSN Communications Departments - May 2022
Design and production: www.kazoar.fr - Pictograms: Freepik, Kazoar - Illustrations: Andra - Photos: IRSN
Reproduction prohibited without the agreement of ASN/IRSN. For further information: contact@irsn.fr

WHAT TO DO WITH
RADIOACTIVE WASTE?

THE ISSUES OF
THE GEOLOGICALDISPOSALThe issue of geological disposal is a sensitive one
because of the risks associated with long-lived waste.
The constraints are very significant, because the facility
must be safe for hundreds of thousands of years.

DEBATETHE CIGÉO PROJECTHEAT
High-level waste produces off heat. However, above
90°C, the behaviour of rock is difficult to predict.
Under the Cigéo project, the waste will be cooled on
the surface before being disposed of, so as not toexceed this temperature and to reduce uncertainties.
This requires proper management of surface waste
storage.

TRANSPORT
New rail and road infrastructure will be built
to ensure that waste is transported from its
storage sites under safe conditions.
Concentrating waste in one place will resultin numerous convoys converging on thedestination. This will increase the risks
associated with transport.

GROUND STABILITY AND RESISTANCE
The over 100-m thick argillite layer, in which the site will be built, wasformed 150 million years ago and has changed little since then. Moreover,these argilites have impervious and resistant characteristics, making
them an excellent natural shield.
Seismic events could create a set of faults that would compromise theclay's ability to confine radioactivity. But this would still require theradioactive elements to rise to the surface in a time period that is shorter
than their lifespan.
The safety of the Cigéo project is based on the clay's ability to act
as a barrier over a very long period of time.

GASEOUS EMISSIONS
Some waste releases non-radioactivehydrogen. Above a certain quantity,hydrogen presents a risk of explosionin the presence of oxygen.
Ventilation systems are planned, theirdesign must ensure that the site is leaktight.

WATER ISSUESThe underground strata are full of water.
These aquifers are important water resources
for humans. Contamination caused by thedisposal facility could compromise their use.
The Cigéo site was chosen because thefacility will be located in an area that has no
major aquifers and is highly impermeable.

REVERSIBILITYRESOURCESThe disposal of waste in Cigéo must be reversible fora period of at least 100 years, i.e. it must be possible
to retrieve packages during this period in the eventof a problem.

Areas of exceptional interest in terms ofunderground resources must be avoided.
This requirement reflects the desire not todeprive local people of the benefits of a major
local resource, and also to limit the risk of
intrusion into the disposal facility should thememory of its existence be lost.

While this is provided for in Andra's project, somepeople have doubts about the economic (and eventechnical) feasibility of extracting the packages once
they have been disposed of.

OPERATIONALRISKS
The site will be in operation for around a hundred years,
and the "classic" risks for a nuclear facility cannot be
overlooked: criticality, fire, containment, ventilation,
package drops, etc.
To design the facility, all the specific aspects are studied:depth, size, duration of operation, concurrent constructions
and operations. The risks are analysed in the safety reports.

10.5 Design: ASN and IRSN Communications Departments - May 2022
Design and production: www.kazoar.fr - Pictograms: Freepik, Kazoar - Illustration: Andra
Reproduction prohibited without the agreement of ASN/IRSN. For further information: contact@irsn.fr

Find out more about
the project