The Cigéo industrial geological repository project

Abstract

The repository project Cigeo is designed to dispose French HLW and ILW that are mainly produced by the nuclear reactors and by the treatment of spent fuel. The long term safety of the repository is given by the Callovo-Oxfordian clay rock (160 million years old), which properties are studied within the Underground Research Laboratory operated by Andra in Meuse/Haute-Marne.The Planning Act of 28 June 2006 entrusted the responsibility of further studies and investigations on the siting and design of the repository upon Andra, in order to start the review of the licence application in 2015 and, subject to its approval, to commission the repository in 2025.A significant step of the project was completed in 2010 with the delineation of the interest zone for the implementation of the repository’s underground facilities. The project has now moved to the industrial studies. A public debate is scheduled in 2013. This debate will address in particular the reversibility conditions of Cigeo and the territorial insertion. The recommendations of the debate will be taken into account to prepare the license application.In order to ensure its success, the Cigeo project must consider multiple issues associated with local insertion, safety and industrial issues. Andra, as the implementer of the project, acts as the guarantor for the search of a fair equilibrium among all those concerns. The project needs an open governance with clear responsibilities for each actor. This is a key factor for the confidence that is progressively developing around the project.