The ASNR opinion : another milestone for the Cigéo project
On Thursday 4 December, the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASNR) issued its opinion on the technical review of Andra’s creation license application for the Cigéo project. This opinion reiterates Andra’s commitments – all deemed satisfactory – as well as the main conclusions on the technical review led by the ASNR, with support from its permanent expert group.
The ASNR states: “The safety case presented in the creation license application for Cigéo, for both the operating phase and the post-closure phase, has reached an overall maturity consistent with expectations for an application to create a geological disposal facility.”
The ASNR also formulates requests for additional information, which is a standard part of the authorisation process for nuclear facilities of this kind.
This opinion validates the measures taken by Andra in Cigéo’s safety demonstration to achieve its ultimate objective: protecting people and the environment over the very long term from the hazards posed by intermediate- and high-level long-lived waste. The ASNR concludes that Andra’s creation license application may give rise to a public inquiry scheduled for the second half of 2026.
We are taking a crucial step forward in the development of the Cigéo project, and we can say today that it has been reached successfully. For 30 years, the Cigéo project has been developed in line with the highest safety standards and, more broadly, with best practices in design, public engagement and dialogue with local communities. I would like to thank Andra’s teams for the work accomplished and for their constant commitment. I would also like to commend the quality of the technical dialogue with the ASNR, as well as the quality of our relations with elected officials and representatives in the Meuse and Haute-Marne region, and more broadly with all stakeholders.
Lydie Evrard, CEO of Andra
of technical instruction
involved
in the creation license application
The technical review of Andra’s creation license application for the Cigéo project
With the support of its permanent expert groups, the ASNR conducted the technical review of the application according to three themes:
- The basic data used for Cigéo’s safety assessment, which were the subject of a first publication in June 2024, by the ASN. It confirmed that the knowledge acquired by Andra on the geological environment, on the waste packages and on the materials was sufficiently robust and controlled to evaluate Cigéo’s safety.
- The safety assessment for the operating phase, which was the subject of an information notice published by the ASNR in January 2025
- The safety assessment for the post-closure phase, which was the subject of an information notice published in July 2025