Andra and waste disposalNational radioactive waste management Agency •1979 : creation of Andra within the Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) •1991 : the Waste Act transforming Andra

Protecting humans and the environment during the

time required for decay

Andra and waste disposal

NATIONAL RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT AGENCY

Table of content

National radioactive waste management Agency

•Introduction : Andra and its missions

•Disposal of very-low-level radioactive waste

the CSTFA waste disposal facility

figures by the end 2008

monitoring the environment

•Disposal of short-lived low- and intermediate-level

radioactive waste

the CSFMA waste disposal facility

figures by the end 2008

monitoring the environment

2


• 1979 : creation of Andra within the Atomic Energy Commission (CEA)

• 1991 : the Waste Act transforming Andra into an independent public

industrial and commercial organisation (Act 91.1381 of 30/12/1991).

Supervised by the Ministries in charge of Industry, Research and the Environment

Board of Directors : supervising ministries, representatives of waste producers, etc.

Scientific Committee

• 2006 : a planning Act setting radioactive waste management objectives,

redefining Andra’s missions and laying down its financing procedures

(Act 2006.739 of 28/06/2006).

Financing

- Research additional tax on the tax already paid by Nuclear basic Installations

operators

- Industrial activities commercial contracts with waste producers

- Public service mission public financing

• Net revenues : ~ € 140 M ; workforce : 415

National radioactive waste management Agency3

Andra’s missions

• An industrial mission : to design, site, build

and operate disposal facilities (Aube and

Manche)

• A research mission : participation in

defining and contributing to research

programmes on the long-term management

of radioactive waste

• An information mission : listing the

location, nature and quantities of all existing

and future radioactive waste


The CSM

The Laboratory of Bure

4

Radioactive waste


Activity

Very-low-level

Low-level

Intermediate-level

High-level

Half life Short-lived waste Long-lived waste

< 31 years > 31 years

The CSTFA at Morvilliers

The CSFMA at Soulaines-Dhuys

Ongoing studies (subsurface) (graphite

and radium-bearing waste)

Ongoing studies

Waste Act of 30 December 1991 +

planning Act of 28 June 2006

Disposal of very-low-level radioactive waste


The CSTFA waste disposal facility


• Commissioned : 14 August 2003

• Footprint : 45 ha including 28.5 ha

for the disposal zone

• Disposal capacity : 650,000 m3

• 17.8 % of disposal capacity at the

end of 2008

• Operating lifetime : around 30

years

• Initial investment : €40 million

The disposal facility concept


The disposal cell, the roof and the final cover


On-site treatment plants

•Compaction unit

• A packing press for light scrap

metal

• A scrap-baling press for plastics

•Inertisation unit (stabilization

and solidification)

• “special industrial waste”, such as

sludge, is chemically stabilized and

mixed with a hydraulic binder.


A few figures by end 2008


Main datas for 2008


• Delivered volume : 28,466 m3

• Disposed volume : 26,321 m3

• Number of delivered packages : 28,168

• Number of disposed packages : 28,393

• Cell n°8 in operation

• Final cover on the fourth cells

Since 2003



• Number of delivered packages :

132,804

• Number of disposed packages :

131,532

• Number of closed cells : 7

Delivery breakdown for 2008


31 %

44 %

23 %

2 %AREVA

CEA

EDF

Others

Delivered volumes since 2003


0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Number of packages

volume (m3)

Disposal since 2003


1741

14903

2487823739 24073

26321

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Monitoring the environment


The CSTFA environmental monitoring plan

Prefectorial order of 26 June 2003

•Objectives:

• To respect regulatory requirements

• To detect any abnormal situations

•Radiological and physico-chemical monitoring of:

• Groundwater, on-site surface water (storm basin water, runoff water), off-site

runoff water

• Sediments

• Atmospheric discharges

• Dosimetry at the facility fence line

• Lixiviation water (water possibly found at the bottom of cells)

•Communication of main results : Clis (local information and

monitoring commission), annual report, etc.


Disposal of short-lived low- and

intermediate-level waste


The low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste


Ion exchange resins

Chemical laboratory

Water filters

Waste from hospitals

Used protection clothes

The CSM repository (Manche district)


527,000 m3

of LIL waste disposed of from 1969 to 1994,

over 10 ha. Post-closure monitoring phase begun in 2003.

The CSFMA waste disposal facility


• Commissioned : 13 January 1992

• Footprint : 95 ha including 30 ha

for the disposal zone

• Disposal capacity : 1, 000, 000 m3

• 22 % of disposal capacity at the

end of 2008

• Operating lifetime : around 60

years

• Initial investment : €221 million

The surface disposal concept

Three barriers to isolate radioactive waste from the

environment (in compliance with the RFS1.2 framework)


The package (1rst

barrier)

The disposal cell

and the future cap

(2nd

barrier)

The site – geology

(3rd

barrier)

the package.pptx

the package.pptx

the package.pptx

the package.pptx

the package.pptx

disposal cells.pptx

disposal cells.pptx

disposal cells.pptx

disposal cells.pptx

disposal cells.pptx

disposal cells.pptx

disposal cells.pptx

disposal cells.pptx

disposal cells.pptx

disposal cells.pptx

disposal cells.pptx

geological barrier.pptx










A few figures by the end 2008


Main datas for 2008




• Number of delivered packages : 17,727

• Number of disposed packages : 10,344

• Number of compacted drums : 8,888

• Number of injected boxes : 514


Since 1992



• Number of delivered packages :

477,874

• Number of disposed packages :

286,377


- 29 cells with gravel

- 66 cells with concrete

Delivery breakdown for 2008


42,2%

34,1%

14,5%

8,2%

0,7%0,4%

Nuclear power

plants

CEA (Atomic

energy)

Reprocessing

(Areva)

Incineration and

fusion

Others

Andra

Delivered volumes since 1992


0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

40000

45000

Number of waste packages

Volume (m3)

Delivery percentage according to shipping mode

(road versus railway)


0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Road

Railway

On-site treatment plants

•Drum compaction unit

• 8,888 drums compacted in 2008

2,437 new canisters (450l drum)

•Box injection unit

• 514 boxes injected (5 m3

and 10 m3)


Socio-economic data

•Staff: 154 (including 58 Andra employees)

•Salaries: €2.47 M

•Operating costs: €32 M

•Direct local taxes: €7 M, i.e.

• €4.8 M in local business tax

• €2.2 M in land tax

•Amount of local purchase orders: €3.4 M

•Apprenticeship tax: €23,000




The CSFMA environmental monitoring plan

Statutory plan approved by the French nuclear safety authority

•Objectives:

• To check the absence of impact

• To respect regulatory requirements

• To detect any abnormal situations

•Results transmitted to: ASN (French nuclear safety authority),

IRSN (radioprotection and nuclear safety institute) and the

national measurement network

•Annual meeting of the Cli (local information commission) on

environmental monitoring

•Main results published in the local newspaper



•Radiological monitoring

• Nearly 16,000 analyses of surface

waters (rivers, streams) and

groundwater, air, sediments, food

chain, vegetation, milk

• Reference point: ecological and

radiation state in 87/88 and 90/91

•Non-radiological monitoring

• Chemical and physico-chemical

analyses of water, ecology, noise and

vibrations, etc.

•Monitoring of the ecology of the

various surrounding environement


Documents

Andra and waste disposalNational radioactive waste management Agency •1979 : creation of Andra within the Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) •1991 : the Waste Act transforming Andra