The presence of Andra in the Meuse and Haute-Marne districts

Transcription

1 The presence of Andra in the Meuse and Haute-Marne districts

2 EDITORIAL summary Andra s objective in the Meuse and Haute-Marne districts: to implement a deep reversible disposal facility for high-level and intermediate-level long-lived waste. The design and the implementation of a deep repository for high-level (HL) and intermediate-level long-lived (IL-LL) radioactive waste straddling the Meuse and Haute- Marne districts constitute a broad scientific and industrial endeavour. As the project progresses, Andra is gradually reinforcing its presence in the area hosting Andra s Underground Research Laboratory (URL) since 999. In 007, the Agency launched the Perennial Observatory of the Environment with a view to improving its knowledge of the natural environment around the Meuse/Haute- Marne site. Furthermore, the Technological Exhibition Facility is now welcoming the public at large to discover the overall project through mock-ups and industrial prototypes. Hence, the Agency is contributing, notably through partnerships with two publicinterest groups (Objectif Meuse and GIP Haute-Marne) to the local economic development. It also intends to reinforce the information it provides to visitors and local residents in order for a genuine dialogue to be established about the implementation of the repository project in the Meuse and Haute-Marne districts. Jean-Paul Baillet Andra s Deputy Director-General, Director of the Meuse/Haute-Marne Centre A project for 05 0/05 The architecture of the deep repository 06/07 Site-selection criteria 08/09 The Underground Research Laboratory: a unique tool 0/ The Underground Research Laboratory: scientific experiments / The Technological Exhibition Facility: industrial studies /5 The Perennial Observatory of the Environment: for a better understanding of the evolution of the natural environment 6/7 Do you wish to learn more about the project to implement a deep reversible disposal facility? Please visit our website( to order or read this brochure explaining the concept and the key steps in the construction of the future facility. What is Andra? The French National Radioactive Waste Management Agency (Agence nationale pour la gestion des déchets radioactifs Andra) is a public industrial and commercial establishment. Placed under the supervision of the Ministries for Energy, the Environment and Research, it is responsible for developing, implementing and guaranteeing safe solutions for protecting current and future generations against the risks resulting from French radioactive waste. Reversibility and memory: two challenges for the deep disposal 8/9 0

3 A project for 05 The law entrusts Andra with the mission of studies and investigations on the deep disposal of high-level and intermediate-level long-lived (HL and IL-LL) radioactive waste in order to selecting a suitable implementation site and to designing a reversible disposal facility. Provided that the relevant licence is granted, the repository is scheduled for commissioning in 05. A first legislation to create Andra The history of the project started in 99 with the December 0 th 99 Waste Act, which instituted Andra as a public establishment and entrusted it notably with the mandate to conduct studies on the deep disposal of high-level and intermediate-level long-lived radioactive waste. Pursuant to its mandate, Andra has studied the geology of the French districts that applied voluntarily to host an underground laboratory dedicated to investigations on deep disposal. The Meuse and Haute-Marne districts host Andra s Underground Research Laboratory (URL) The geological surveys conducted from 99 to 996 at the boundary between the Meuse and Haute-Marne districts confirmed the interest for Callovo-Oxfordian argillites, a stable and homogeneous clay-rock formation located at a median depth of about 500 m. After a public inquiry, Andra was granted a licence in 999 to build and to operate an underground research laboratory in the commune of Bure, Meuse district. successful research The studies carried out by Andra from the surface or in the URL drifts demonstrate the feasibility of deep disposal in the Meuse/Haute-Marne area. The results were submitted to the government in a report called Dossier 005 and served especially to delineate around the URL a 50-km zone, where the characteristics of the rock likely to accommodate waste packages are similar to those observed in the URL. A second legislation to provide a materialize the deep disposal project In 006, the Planning Act Concerning the Sustainable Management of Radioactive Materials and Waste validated Andra s results and selected deep disposal as the reference solution for the long-term management of HL and IL-LL waste. Following that decision, Andra was given the task to continue its scientific and technical studies in order to site and design the future repository scheduled to be commissioned in 05. A third legislation on reversibility A third act specifying the reversibility conditions of deep disposal must be voted in 06 before any granting of the repository licence. A repository, for what purpose? To ensure the sustainable containment of radioactive substances The disposal principle relies on the outstanding properties (retention capability, low permeability and the overall homogeneity of the Callovo-Oxfordian clay formation) capable of retarding and limiting the migration of radionuclides contained in HL and IL-LL waste until their radioactivity level is no more a danger for human beings and the environment. 05 Start-up of repository operations for about 00 years 07 Beginning of the construction of the repository, subject to the granting of the relevant licence 06 Adoption of a new act specifying the reversibility conditions of deep disposal 05 Filing and review of the repository licence application 0-0 Public debate, followed by the selection of the implementation site by the government 00-0 Geological surveys within the restricted zone and study of scenarios for the implementation of surface installations 009 Proposal of a 0-km restricted zone (within the already-delineated 50-km zone around the URL) where underground installations will be implemented Development of the implementation scenarios for surface installations Presentation of technical choices regarding the design, safety and reversibility of the repository Creation of the Technological Exhibition Facility in order to display the deep repository project, including the robots and industrial prototypes developed by Andra for that project 006: a second legislation to design a deep repository Adoption of the Planning Act of 8 June 006 Concerning the Sustainable Management of Radioactive Materials and Waste entitling Andra to design and implement a deep repository for HL and IL-LL waste : demonstration of the feasibility of deep disposal Presentation to the government of the Dossier 005 report, which concluded to the feasibility of a deep disposal for HL and IL-LL waste; public debate and review of the report : construction of the URL and conduct of investigations and experiments Conduct of scientific experiments and technological tests within the URL in order to demonstrate the feasibility of deep disposal; borehole-drilling campaigns from the surface throughout the sector : creation of the URL Geological surveys for the implementation of the URL until 996. In 997, public inquiry and consultations with volunteer host communities, followed in 998 by the government s selection of the Meuse/Haute-Marne site for the implementation of the URL. Finally, in 999, granting of the URL s implementation and operating licence 99: a first legislation to study the feasibility of deep disposal Adoption of the 0 December 99 Waste Act entitling Andra to conduct studies and investigations on the deep disposal of HL and IL-LL waste The various URL facilities 0 05

4 the architecture of the deep repository The deep repository will include surface installations where waste packages will be received and conditioned, underground installations for waste-disposal purposes and connecting infrastructures between surface and underground. Surface structures (approximately 00 hectares) consist of : nuclear installations where packages are received, controlled, stored and conditioned in disposal containers; industrial workshop; administrative buildings; muck stockpiles, of which about 0% will be reused to backfill underground structures when repository closure is decided. Connecting structures will insure the link between surface and underground installations for transporting personnel, transferring disposal containers and worksite machinery, as well as ventilating underground structures. Underground structures will expand as operation progresses until they reach a total area close to 5 km at the end of the operational phase expected to last about 00 years. Located at some 500 m deep underground, they consist of disposal areas for the various waste categories, as well as connecting drifts and technical amenities. An adapted disposal concept for every type of waste Upon arrival at the repository, high-level waste packages (HL) will be conditioned individually in steel disposal containers. In turn, those containers will be loaded inside a transfer cask in order to ensure the radiological protection of the staff and emplaced by a robot behind e a c h o t h e r i n dedicated disposal cells. A deep repository, but for what kind of waste? Nuclear reactors need a fuel consisting in a uranium assembly, to which plutonium is added sometimes. As time goes by, this fuel becomes less efficient and is retrieved from the reactor. It is sent to AREVA s plant in La Hague (Manche district) for recycling purposes. The metal structures surrounding the so-called spent fuel are cut in small sections and treated in a chemical solution. Metal scrap (claddings hulls and end-caps) forms the large majority of IL-LL waste. Through a chemical treatment, it is possible to separate the recoverable materials (uranium and plutonium) from the other non-reusable HL residues constituting the large majority of this type of waste. Those HL residues are vitrified and conditioned in stainless-steel containers. Pending the commissioning of the deep repository, the waste is stored on its production site, notably at La Hague (Manche district) and at Marcoule (Gard district). HL and IL-LL waste represents less than % of the entire amount of French radioactive waste, but concentrates more than 99% of the whole radioactivity inventory. Before their transfer in underground structures, packages containing intermediate-level long-lived waste (IL-LL) will be inserted in concrete disposal containers and loaded also inside a transfer cask. For their disposal, they will be stacked side by side in several layers in dedicated disposal cells. Illustration of the deep repository 06 07

5 site-selection criteria The selection of the final implementation of the deep reversible disposal facility includes siting of underground structures and as well of the various surface installations. Within the Meuse/Haute-Marne site, Andra delineated in 005 a 50-km area, which is geologically suitable for the implementation of the underground installations of the repository. In 009, Andra will propose to the government a smaller area of about 0 km within this larger zone in order to carry out a more comprehensive campaign of geological surveys. Criteria for delineating the smaller area are mainly geological in nature (depth and thickness of the clay formation, hydraulic pressure, etc.), as recommended by the National Review Board (Commission nationale d évaluation CNE). The government will select the final site once the public debate scheduled for 0 has been held. The 50-km geologically-suitable zone for the implementation of the repository Drilling platform Vibroseis truck Andra must also identify various scenarios for implementing the surface installations of the repository. When selecting their location, Andra will take into account industrial constraints (topography, transport infrastructures, easily-flooded zones, etc.), regulatory requirements (protection area around drinking-water production resources, protected area around historical buildings, etc.) and environmental criteria (protection of interest areas with regard to fauna and flora; sensitive landscapes; areas of human, economic and cultural activities). What are geological surveys? Andra relies on the following three study means: mapping surveys, to improve the geological knowledge of the site; boreholes, to provide a one-dimensional description of the subsoil as well as rock and fluid samples in order to study the different superimposed layers involved; In order to provide more implementation flexibility, Andra studied the possibility of surface-underground link by ramps as complements to vertical shafts. That solution would offset part of the surface installations from the underground installations by several kilometres (up to 5 km). Territorial-development and local-insertion criteria have been identified in conjunction with local stakeholders and complete the overall assessment elements. -D ou -D seismics, to provide genuine scans of the subsoil. The principle is simple: seismic waves generated by vibroseis trucks along preset itineraries reflect on the different geological layers and are recorded by very sensitive sensors (geophones) on the ground surface. Connections between those profiles and interpretations of borehole measurements are established in order to build a -D representation of the sector under study

6 the underground research laboratory: a unique tool Located in Bure (Meuse district) since 000, the Underground Research Laboratory (URL) constitutes a unique tool in France. In its network of drifts, located 500-meter deep approximately, scientists are able to observe and to study directly the geological formation in real time. The experimental programme in figures: deep boreholes drilled from the surface 0 boreholes drilled from the underground drifts,50 sensors installed in the rock 7 km of cored rock 5,50 rock samples the Laboratory today The future of the URL The URL s underground structures consist of: two shafts (respectively 5-meter and -meter final diameter) sunk down to a depth of 500 m in order to ensure the connection between the surface and underground structures; one -meter-long experimental drift in the upper section of the argillite layer at a depth of 5 m for observation and measurement purposes; a network amounting to about 70 meters of drifts (figure in June 009) and excavated at a depth of 90 m in the middle of the clay formation for experimental purposes. The construction of new extensions to the URL will start in November 009 in order for scientific and technical teams to benefit from 500 additional metres of drifts. Restricted only to the scientific and technical studies of the repository project, the URL does not contain any radioactive waste and, in accordance with its licensing decree, shall never serve as a disposal facility. The Planning Act of 8 June 006 provides for Andra to conduct a reflection on the future of the surface and underground research installations on the Bure site in order for scientific programmes likely to benefit to access them easily. Such outreach to a large scientific community is under study at the request of the Ministry of Graduate Studies and Research in the framework of the evolution of the URL into a very large research infrastructure (Très grande infrastructure de recherche TGI), as in the case of the Synchrotron Soleil in the Essonne district. Those reflections, led by Jean-Pierre Finance, President of Henri- Poincaré University in Nancy, started in early 009. Close to 0 recognised scientists have already organised thematic roundtables in different fields (Earth and Universe sciences, physical sciences, chemical sciences, environmental sciences, etc.), in order to assess the actions to be undertaken. Four Andra engineers and scientists won the Second Prize of the 008 French National Engineering Awards for their design and implementation of the Underground Research Laboratory. The studies Andra conducted within the URL rely notably on the implementation of scientific experiments in co-operation with many partners, as well as on the conduct of technological tests in the core of the rock. The highlights of the Callovo-Oxfordian argillite layer The Callovo-Oxfordian formation is a 60-million-year-old clay-rock layer, which is suitable for the excavation of underground structures. It is being investigated for deep disposal due to its very low permeability (water flows only over a few centimetres in the rock over 0,000 years) and its high chemical-retention capabilities. Those properties help in retarding and limiting the migration in the geological medium of the radionuclides contained in the waste during the required time for their radioactive decay. In the URL s underground drifts 0

7 the underground research laboratory: scientific experiments Set since 00 within the URL drifts, various underground experiments have provided to scientists information on the properties of the rock and on its response to the construction of installations and to radioactive waste disposal. In situ ground-water pressure measurement Display of experimental drifts with the data-acquisitionand-management system Measurements of the variations in the diameter of a URL drift Andra geologists carrying out experiments in the URL Testing the containment capabilities of the rock Knowing the impact of heat on the rock In order to ensure that the impact of radioactive waste on human beings and the environment will never exceed 0% of the impact of natural radioactivity, scientists are conducting large-scale studies on the containment capabilities of the Callovo-Oxfordian formation. In-situ experiments are carried out in order to determine the confinement properties of the rock and deal notably with water movements in the rock, the chemical composition of that ground-water, as well as diffusion tests with tracers. The measurements confirm the smaller-scale results obtained in other laboratories. Certain types of radioactive waste release heat, which decreases over time. Studies show that when radioactive-waste packages will be disposed of deep underground, they will cause the rock temperature to increase up to a maximum of 90 C over a few centuries, or even a few thousands of years. In order to assess that phenomenon, heating probes have been set in place in the rock in order to reproduce heating conditions similar to those of waste packages and to analyse the behaviour of the rock and of any potential changes in its properties. Results show that such increase in temperature had only a very slight impact on the containment properties of the rock. Assessing the rock response during excavation During the excavation of the rock, some fracturing may appear close to the excavated zone, thus creating a damaged zone the significance and the extension of which depend on various factors, such as the depth of the structure, its size or the mechanical characteristics of the rock. A very large number of experiments and measurements conducted in the URL provide a better understanding of the rock behaviour and help in forecasting the evolution of the rock massif and of the excavation-induced fracturing. Results reveal a remarkable property of the argillites, since their minerals improve the gradual healing of the fractured sector in which the initial permeability is restored.

8 The Technological Exhibition Facility: industrial studies Located in Saudron (Haute-Marne district), the Technological Exhibition Facility is designed for the public to discover the deep repository project through the display of mock-ups and of the various robots and industrial prototypes developed by Andra. In parallel to scientific studies, Andra is also conducting technical studies focusing, for instance, on the equipment likely to be implemented in the future deep repository. The robots of the Technological Exhibition Facility Two kinds of prototypes were built: prototypes of disposal containers made of concrete for IL-LL waste. Some containers have been fitted with sensors in order to monitor the behaviour and ageing of the different types of concrete being used. Others served for testing purposes, such as drop tests; robots for testing handling mechanisms for HL-waste containers under repository conditions (i.e., in simulated horizontal cylindrical disposal cells). Prototypes under construction or at the project stage will be used for testing on the surface and under conditions as close to real life as possible the docking of disposal containers at the front of the disposal cells and the emplacement of the containers in the cells, as well as their possible retrieval. Prototype of the pusher robot used to emplace HL-waste packages in disposal cells Simulated access drift to HL-waste disposal cells and pusher-robot prototype Synthesis image of a disposal cell prototype for IL-LL waste Full-scale testing of industrial concepts The,700-m Technological Exhibition Facility, which opened in June 009, was built with the support of the two public-interest groups (GIP), created by the State to manage the economic outreach scheme associated to the URL implementation. Those industrial studies specify the technical solutions that will be used for the construction, operation and closure of the repository with regard to waste packages, buildings, conditioning equipment, disposal containers and structures, package-transfer and handling processes, repository-closure processes, etc. In order to test those different solutions, Andra is building prototypes and robots, while conducting technological tests (excavations, closure, etc.) at the Underground Research Laboratory (URL), both on the surface and in underground drifts. Technical developments call upon to the high-level skills of Andra and of its contractors in the field of underground work, nuclear engineering, mechanics, etc. 5

9 THE PERENNIAL observatory of the ENVIRONMENT: for a better understanding of the evolution of the natural environment As in the case of any other industrial activity, the implementation of a repository is likely to have an impact on the environment. Hence, Andra has set up a mechanism capable of describing precisely the current environment of the Meuse/Haute-Marne site in order to follow up its evolution as soon as work starts at the facility and throughout its operation for at least 00 years. RESEARCH PROGRAMMES Andra Observations SOILS Orchis near the URL Observation of soils in the framework of the Perennial Observatory of the Environment Field excursion on Common Birds and Characterisation of Forest Ecosystems by the operational steering committee of the Meuse/ Haute-Marne Observatory Goldfinch near the URL On the Meuse/Haute-Marne site, Andra established the Perennial Observatory of the Environment (Observatoire pérenne de l environnement OPE) in 007 with a view to preparing for the environmental monitoring to be performed during the operational phase of the repository over a period of approximately 00 years. In that context, it constitutes a unique tool to acquire environmental data. A sustainable monitoring Beyond the regulatory follow-up of the quality of waters, air and bio-indicators for any industrial or nuclear facility, the OPE forms an essential mechanism for understanding and monitoring the environment and aims mostly at studying ecosystems in the zone where the future repository will be implemented. During the first phase, analyses, inventories, maps, etc., will allow to set forth the initial status of the environment over 0 years, while taking into account natural variations. That reference status will cover notably natural resources, agricultural lands, forests, leisure areas, material assets and cultural heritage likely to be affected by the project, as well as a radiological status of the environment. Today, studies on flora, amphibians, insects, large mammals and bats have already been launched, and other studies on the water fauna and bees will begin soon. In the case of human activities, an observatory of agricultural and forest practices associating Andra to the Chambers of Agriculture is taking shape. The Observatory will also encourage studies on interactions between the different environmental sectors (fauna, flora, waters, air, soils, etc.) and allow for their evolution to be monitored over time. It will also determine relevant indicators to monitor the environment. A broad mission Beyond the environmental data that are of particular interest to Andra, the Observatory will provide responses to broader scientific issues, such as the detailed operation of ecosystems, the understanding of biogeochemical cycles, etc. In the framework of the OPE, Andra is working in co operation with various environmental associations and many research laboratories. The Observatory relies also on the support of the French National Forestry Office (Office national des forêts ONF) and the Chambers of Agriculture of the districts where Andra is present. The ecolibrary Starting in 0, an ecolibrary will ensure the long-term conservation of the water, air, soil, flora and fauna samples collected in the framework of the OPE. It will ensure the traceability of environmental measurements for a period of time at least equivalent to the operational lifetime of the repository. This ecolibrary will be a unique high-technology facility in France for preserving and sharing information as well as potentially opening it to other research organisations. Pending its inauguration, existing samples will be kept at the CNRS s Observatory of Resources on the Quality of the Environment (Observatoire de ressources sur la qualité de l environnement ORQUE), in Pau (Pyrénées-Atlantiques district). FAUNA Perennial Observatory of the Environment FOREST WATER 6 7

10 A REVERSIBLE DISPOSAL According to the 006 Planning Act prescriptions, deep disposal shall be reversible for at least 00 years. Another law, scheduled to be adopted before the actual granting of the repository licence, will specify all applicable reversibility conditions. Ensuring disposal reversibility The reversibility requirement for disposal applies as early as the design stage of the repository and of the corresponding technical processes, as follows: disposal containers and structures shall be built in order to ensure their robustness and integrity for at least 00 years, and therefore will allow easy access to waste packages; the equipment to be used to emplace waste packages in disposal cells shall also be able to retrieve them; surface buildings shall be able to accommodate containers, if need be, after their retrieval from the repository. A gradual construction of the structures Disposal cells shall be built progressively in order to take into account any future changes in the design of the repository as technical and scientific advances are developed. Monitoring the installations Andra is investigating various observation and monitoring devices, such as sensors, which, if incorporated as early as possible in the construction of the repository, will help in monitoring its behaviour and the evolution of the repository installations throughout the operational phase. REVERSIBILITY AND MEMORY: two challenges for the deep disposal Designing a reversible disposal facility ensures that future generations are able to modify or to redirect the disposal process, and notably to retrieve waste packages after disposal and to store them, if another management system was ever envisaged. PREServing the memory of the repository A multisecular memory The deep repository is designed to be safe under passive conditions, which means that it does not require any human intervention until the radioactivity level of the disposed waste is no more a danger for human beings and the environment. However, Andra must maintain and pass on the memory of the repository for five centuries after its final closure in order to inform future generations of such existence. The same approach used at the Manche disposal facility for low-level and intermediate-level waste, which is today the first repository in post-closure phase, also applies to deep disposal. In order to track back the major steps of the Manche disposal facility, a detailed description of its history printed on permanent paper was transferred by Andra to the French National Archives. The Agency also issued a memory synthesis (available on its website: with a deliberately abundant iconography because most human beings have a tendency to keep illustrated documents rather than plain ones. Hence, those data could be kept preciously over several centuries with a view to: informing future generations about the existence and the content of the site, notably with regards to the risk of human intrusions; preserving memory, in spite of potential social and political upheavals (wars, natural disasters, etc.); helping future generations understand potential phenomena being observed and allowing them, if need be, to apply the relevant corrective measures under safe conditions; allowing future generations to take sound decisions with a full knowledge of the facts with regard to the future of the site in accordance with technical, scientific, social and political evolutions. Together with its French and foreign partners, Andra is reflecting on the advantages of a multi-millennium memory. Learning from the past In order to reflect about memory preservation over thousands of years, Andra is reviewing notably the methods used to conserve early mediaeval manuscripts as well as old monuments and artefacts through various partnerships with specialised organisations. Through such joint activities, the Agency is able to analyse not only how and why archives and structures of the past have been maintained over the years, but also what part of the past has survived and what caused the degradation and destruction of our heritage. Carnac megaliths The 006 Planning Act requires that the repository be reversible for a period of at least 00 years 8 Prototype of handling equipment for heavy loads 9

11 FOR A FREE VISIT please CALL french national radioactive waste management agency Meuse/Haute-Marne Centre Route départementale 960 BP 9 F-5590 Bure TOLL FREE FROM A FIXED PHONE TOLL FREE FROM A FIXED PHONE Andra 55VA DCOM June 009 (-nov. 009),000 copies Graphic design and production: Ping-Pong Graphique Photo and illustration credits: Andra/E. Poirot, Gilles Baumont/Fotolia.com, Graphix/V. Paul, P. Maurein, F. Pierrel, Pragma Visuels/P. D , A. Rezzoug, Studio Durey Imprim Vert certified printing with vegetable-based inks on FSC-certified partly-recycled paper Free Not for sale.