Visit by the IAEA Director General
On 20 October 2017, Yukiya Amano, the Director General of the IAEA, visited Andra’s underground laboratory and technology showroom in Meuse/Haute-Marne in the company of Pierre-Marie Abadie and David Mazoyer. This visit was part of Mr. Amano’s trip to France, during which Mr. Amano also met with the President of the Republic and the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs.
During his visit, Mr. Amano could witness some of the research and works being done by Andra to ensure the safety of Cigéo during its construction, its operation and after its closure. He declared that the Andra installations in Meuse/Haute-Marne clearly demonstrated the responsible approach applied by France to the management of its most dangerous radioactive waste.
Andra reminded Mr. Amano of the work carried out with IAEA in the preparation of Cigéo, in particular, the report produced at the end of 2016 by the international peer review as part of the assessment of the Cigéo safety options file.
The IAEA Director General declared that the international examples of final disposal of high level waste or spent fuel, including that of France, were important because they demonstrated that the technical options of a long-term solution for highly radioactive waste are possible and are in fact well advanced.
