ASN considers that the application for authorization to create Cigéo is admissible
The ASN considers that the application submitted by Andra earlier this year for authorization to create Cigéo is admissible; this step enables the launch of the technical appraisal of the application, and also marks the culmination of several decades of preliminary research and development work.
The application for authorization to create Cigéo will be examined according to procedures adapted to the exceptional nature of this project, involving in particular the French Technical Support Organization IRSN, the ASN's permanent expert groups and the national Assessment Board (CNE2). The results of this work will be presented to Parliament.
Specific consultation and information actions will be implemented during the appraisal of the dossier: the main questions and concerns of stakeholders will be taken into account when framing the expert appraisal work to be carried out; the public will be regularly informed of the conclusions of this work.
On January 16, 2023, Andra submitted a request to the French Ministry of Energy for authorization to create a deep geological disposal facility for radioactive waste, known as Cigéo.
The submission of this application marks a major milestone in the development of the project; it is the culmination of several decades of preliminary research and development work on issues such as site selection, the development of key components for the facility, and its main safety options.
In March 2023, ASN was asked by the French Ministry for Energy Transition to lead the technical appraisal of Andra's application. ASN first examined the admissibility of the dossier submitted by Andra. It concludes that it includes all the documents required by law, and that these contain the elements needed to initiate the analysis and expert appraisal work that lies at the heart of the appraisal procedure.
The dossier submitted in support of Andra's application is therefore admissible. This first step marks the start of the appraisal procedure, the first phase of which is a technical appraisal lasting an estimated 3 years.
The application for authorization to create Cigéo will be examined according to procedures adapted to the exceptional nature of this project.
The authorization procedure comprises two essential phases: technical appraisal and consultation.
The technical appraisal, led by the ASN, is designed to verify that the project offers all the guarantees required to meet the applicable safety requirements. In support of this work, ASN has asked IRSN to carry out an expert appraisal of all the documents in the dossier, and plans to mobilize its standing advisory group of experts for waste (GPD), as well as its standing advisory group of experts for plants (GPU), on three topics:
- the basic assumptions and data used in the dossier,
- safety during the facility's operating phases,
- long-term safety after Cigéo's closure.
In parallel with this technical appraisal work, the CNE2 is expected to draw up an opinion on the dossier, which will be forwarded to Parliament. The Commission's opinion will be based on the scientific content of the dossier and on its knowledge of the state of the art, informed by its annual assessment of the progress of research and studies into the management of radioactive materials and waste.
Once the technical appraisal has been completed, the procedure calls for consultation with all the institutional entities involved (environmental authority, local information commission, local water commission, local authorities concerned, European Commission), and finally a public inquiry.
It is only after the technical appraisal and consultations have been completed, and provided that these conclude favorably on the acceptability of the project presented, that the facility's authorization decree will be published.
Specific consultation and information measures will be implemented during the project appraisal phase, to ensure that the main expectations of stakeholders are taken into account, and to share regular and comprehensive information on the progress of the examination of the file, throughout the appraisal process.
