Radioactive waste management

Most radioactive waste originates from nuclear industry. It also results from the use of radioactive items in hospitals, universities, certain non-nuclear industries and defence-related activities. Each type of waste requires specially adapted processing and a long-term management solution to control the risks posed, especially the radiological risk. In France, each waste category has a management solution which includes a series of operations such as sorting, processing, packaging, storage and possible disposal.

Around 90% of the volume of radioactive waste produced already has a long-term management solution. Other waste is packaged and stores in secure facilities while a long-term management solution is sought. In late 2007, there were 1,121 sites with radioactive waste. More than 90% of radioactive waste is located at the La Hague site in northwest France and to a lesser extent at the Marcoule site in the south of the country.

ASN’s role

ASN prepares regulation pertaining to the management of radioactive waste, monitors the safety of basic nuclear installations that are the source of waste or involved in its disposal and performs inspections of waste producers (EDF, AREVA, CEA, hospitals, research centres, etc.) and Andra, the French National Radioactive Waste Management Agency. It monitors the overall system set up by Andra for accepting waste from producers and assesses waste management policy and practices of radioactive waste producers.

Dismantling nuclear facilities

The civilian nuclear industry in France first started to grow in the 1960's. Several facilities built during that period are at the end of their service life and are no longer producing or used for research. As part of their dismantling, they will undergo a series of remediation and deconstruction operations.

In 2010, more than thirty nuclear facilities, including eight reactors from EDF's first nuclear power fleet, are currently in the permanent shutdown and dismantling phase.

Dismantling nuclear facilities usually requires lengthy operations that are challenges for the operators in terms of project management, continued proficiency and coordination of various work efforts. Radioactive material must be removed and the facility dismantled and cleaned up. These operations present special issues in terms of dosimetry, since workers must be in frequent contact with equipment that contains radioactive substances in order to dismantle it; management of radioactive waste, which is produced in much greater quantities than during the operation phase; traditional risks to the extent that certain dismantling operations are part of deconstruction work performed by the construction industry; risks related to the loss of design and operating plans and loss of proficiency; risks related to inadequate monitoring that can lead to long-term pollution of the site or its surroundings.

ASN’s role

The safety of these facilities in the dismantling process rests first with verification by the operator of the facility. In this framework, ASN monitors each facility that the organisation and methods adopted by the operator are sufficient to exercise this responsibility. In addition to individual dismantling of each facility, ASN monitors that overall strategies of producers are part of a consistent approach for taking into account safety and radiation protection constraints. The significant nature of current dismantling programmes requires rigorous planning that takes into account all parameters related to safety and radiation protection: facility ageing, work strategy, choice of technical scenario and safety priorities.