ANDRA 2014 ACTIVITY REPORT. Responsibility. in action

Transcription

1 ANDRA 2014 ACTIVITY REPORT Responsibility in action

2 CONTENTS 04. A WORD FROM FRANÇOIS-MICHEL GONNOT Chairman of the Board 05. A WORD FROM PIERRE-MARIE ABADIE CEO 06. ORGANISATION CHART 07. FINANCIAL FIGURES 08. ANDRA S WORKFORCE Andra 574 VA DICOD/ July 2015 Director of Communication and Public Dialogue: Valérie Renauld. Coordination: Anne-Sophie Levert. Iconography Manager: Sophie Muzerelle. Editor: Isabelle Delpech. Photo credits: Andra, Ch. Bœuf, P. Breger, D. Delaporte, P. D , V. Duterme/Studio Montéclair, R. Faroud, FRL Production, E. Gaffard, ITER Organization, P. Maraval, M-A. Martin, P. Maurein, S. Muzerelle, G. Ramon, A. Robin, Thinkstock, C. Verdenal/L'Oeil Creatif. Graphic design and production: Printed with vegetable-based inks by an Imprim Vert certified printer on partially recycled paper. 2 Andra Responsibility in action

3 Find Andra Three issues of the Journal de l Andra newsletter were published in The Aube, Manche and Meuse/ Haute-Marne editions are produced for residents of the areas where Andra sites are located, for local elected officials and for local communities. The National edition is produced for Andra s institutional audiences. The newsletters are available on Andra s website. DOWNLOAD FULL COPIES OF JOURNAL DE L ANDRA ON twitter.com/andra_france facebook.com/andra.france dailymotion.com/andra youtube.com/andrafr linkedin.com/company/andra_2

4 RESPONSIBILITY A CORE VALUE FOR ANDRA 12. Sustainable development 13. A socially responsible government agency 14. A successful CSR assessment 16. Cigeo a project developed in collaboration with society for the past 25 years 18. Making society a part of the process 22. Repository ethics and reversibility AT ANDRA 28. Research and innovation 32. Design and realisation 36. Operation and monitoring 40. Support and promotion 45. Local involvement 50. Information and dialoguer 24. Constructing memory together Responsibility in action Andra 3

5 A WORD FROM THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD 2014 A year of transition for Andra 2014 was a year of transition for Andra, with the departure of Marie- Claude Dupuis, who was CEO of Andra since 2005, and the arrival of Pierre-Marie Abadie. Andra underwent profound changes during the nine years of Marie-Claude Dupuis' leadership: Andra became bigger. Its operations expanded with the growth in operations upstream of disposal for optimised management of radioactive waste. Andra became better. The past nine years were marked by dialogue social dialogue, dialogue with elected officials and generators, dialogue with the public thanks to two public debates and daily fieldwork. Andra became stronger. It is recognised as a model agency. The project to build a repository for the longest-lived and most radioactive waste has moved from the feasibility demonstration stage, which took place in 2005, to the Cigeo project, which is in the industrial design phase. The project to build a repository for low-level long-lived waste (LLW-LL project) is back on the agenda. Andra has become an international reference recognised by institutions, the scientific community and the business world. During these past nine years, Andra won over many countries and became an internationally recognised leader in its core business. Pierre-Marie Abadie was appointed CEO of Andra on 23 October He was the person I hoped would take the agency's helm. He is familiar with the industrial projects and his work as vice chairman of the Board of Governors of the International Energy Agency means that he also has solid understanding of the world of energy. Pierre- Marie has been government commissioner to the governing board of Andra since his appointment, in 2007, as director of energy at the Ministry of Ecology. In this capacity he has closely followed the recent changes that took place at Andra and he is familiar with the challenges awaiting him. Pierre-Marie Abadie has a forward-looking vision for Andra's future. He will know how to draw on the agency's expertise and values to lead it to exploit its potential and become a true industrial owner that contributes to society and is able to lead major projects in France and export its know-how around the world. FRANÇOIS-MICHEL GONNOT 4 Andra Responsibility in action

6 A WORD FROM THE CEO Andra is a business unlike any other Since being appointed CEO of Andra in autumn 2014, I have been able to get a first-hand look at how a business unlike any other operates. I say unlike any other because of the responsibility it must assume that of designing dependable solutions that will not pass on the burden of managing radioactive waste to future generations and because of the expertise and dedication of the women and men who work here was a year of many accomplishments at Andra: The agency made a number of changes and proposals following the public debate on Cigeo, a project to build a deep geological repository for the longest-lived and most radioactive waste. Progress was made in finding a disposal site for low-level long-lived waste (LLW-LL). Repositories that combine safety with openness, serve as models of waste management, and maintain a dialogue with local residents and their representatives. Internationally recognised French expertise in long-term waste management. Three major milestones await Andra in First is the national inventory of radioactive materials and waste. This key document in the coordination of waste management channels is used to update information on the volumes, locations and types of waste in France. Second is the progress report on the LLW-LL project, which will provide a snapshot of the knowledge acquired since 2009 and the options available for continuing with the project. Lastly, 2015 will be a pivotal year for Cigeo with the completion of the outline proposal studies, the start of the final proposal studies following a comprehensive technical review, and a reorganised internal project structure that will provide more robust strategic management. The agency will also continue its industrial growth, strengthen its research and development capabilities and intensify its policy of openness with civil society. It will make organisational and operational changes in order to be able to meet the challenges of the future build Cigeo (pending authorisation from regulators), assist EDF, CEA and Areva in dismantling their oldest facilities and design an ultimate solution for LLW-LL waste. All this will reinforce Andra's image as a national and international authority in radioactive waste management. PIERRE-MARIE ABADIE Responsibility in action Andra 5

7 ORGANISATION CHART Andra, the French National Radioactive Waste Management Agency, is charged with finding, implementing and guaranteeing safe solutions for the management of all types of radioactive waste in France in order to protect current and future generations from the hazards posed by such waste. It is an industrial and commercial public undertaking (EPIC) under the authority of the French ministries of Energy, Environment and Research. It is independent of radioactive waste producers Implementing safe management solutions to protect present and future generations François-Michel Gonnot Chairman of Andra 4. Bruno Cahen Industrial Director 8. Gérald Ouzounian International Director 12. Paul Talneau Director of Human Resources 2. Pierre-Marie Abadie CEO 3. Jean-Paul Baillet Deputy Executive Officer Director of the Meuse/Haute-Marne site 5. Florence Espiet Director of the CSM repository 6. Alain Harman Director of Engineering and of the Cigeo Project 7. Thibaud Labalette Programmes Director 9. Frédéric Plas Director of Research and Development 10. Valérie Renauld Director of Communication and Public Dialogue 11. Gaëlle Saquet Corporate Secretary 13. Soraya Thabet Director of Risk Control (replaced Fabrice Boissier in May 2015) 14. Patrice Torres Director Andra's waste disposal facilities 6 Andra Responsibility in action

8 FINANCIAL FIGURES Financing of operations Business growth, in thousands Public subsidies 3 % Business contracts Cigeo design fund 35 % 34 % 1,215 Cigeo research fund 28 % 97 % Rad ioactive waste generators France 1,543 International Operating expenses in millions Purchases and external expenses Staffing costs Cigeo portion Assets set aside to securing the financing of nuclear-related costs Andra reserves 46.8 M Andra funds 51.3 M representing 110 % of the coverage rate at end Ratio of overheads to staffing levels, in thousands/fte*(2013 economic conditions) 2000 *FTE: full-time equivalent AS A PUBLIC AGENCY, Andra makes managing its financial resources a key priority. Radioactive waste management in France is a daily concern aimed at creating a safe future. Waste generators cover the costs of research and development and of operating the repositories where their waste is stored. They are required to set aside reserves for the dismantling of their facilities and the management of their waste. In accordance with the target agreement, in 2014 Andra finalised its own scheme for securing the financing necessary to cover the long-term costs of managing non-nuclear power plant waste and for which it is financially liable. It has made headway in controlling its costs, particularly by containing the operating costs of its sites through innovation and by making cost-effective purchases, and by containing its overheads. By streamlining and improving its competitive tendering process, Andra was able to save 26.8 million in purchases in Responsibility in action Andra 7

9 ANDRA'S WORKFORCE Increase in staffing levels new hires departures Head office at Châtenay-Malabry Aube waste disposal facilities CSM waste disposal facility Meuse/ Haute-Marne site Site staffing levels IN 2014, Andra continued its policy of recruitment and growth to expand and bring fresh talent to its workforce. It also invested in training initiatives to strengthen the skills of its employees and ensure new staff ar e smoothly integrated. MAKING HEADWAY IN GREATER NUMBERS During 2014, the agency took measures to consolidate change in its organisational structure. As in the previous year, recruitment at Andra was steady in The agency added 67 new staff members, of whom 40 filled new positions created in particular for the Cigeo project. These new employees strengthen the agency's skills in fields related to project engineering, safety and other fields of project management, the operation of existing sites and customer relations, and in support functions such as purchasing, communications and secretarial duties. Since 2010, the agency's workforce has increased by 38%, reaching a total of 635 employees in late Added to these ranks are 10 PhD students and three post-doctoral fellows. The number of employees in the Meuse/Haute-Marne departments rose from 79 people in 2010 to 158 people in 2014, and from 75 to 86 people at Andra's waste disposal facilities. DEVELOPING SKILLS Developing and maintaining the skills of its employees are essential to Andra. For the agency, training is a priority that will enable it to keep up with its rapidly changing environment and adapt to the complexity of its many fields. It invested the equal to of 4.95% of its wage bill in training in Much of this training is conducted to strengthen its employees' technical skills in its fields. Andra also places emphasis on multidisciplinary training, with auditor training adapted to the internationalisation of audits at its customers' facilities and training in the use of social media. Andra's training staff also receive training to strengthen their teaching skills and improve the quality of training courses offered by Andra. Lastly, Andra is continuing its management training and certification partnership with six other establishments (BRGM, Ineris, Cnes, EFS, Onera and Universcience). 8 Andra Responsibility in action

10 Workforce Engineers and executive staff Total workforce 70 % % Median age 45.3 years 39.9 years 61 % 39 % Workforce Workers, administrative staff, technicians and supervisors Median age 44.8 years 41.8 years % 57 % Median age 43.2 years 44 years Skills development at Andra also involves implementing a voluntary policy of learning and short-term apprenticeships. This policy enables Andra to play a part in skills transfer in the employment areas where its sites are located. DEVELOPING A SUSTAINED MOMENTUM IN SUPPORT OF EMPLOYMENT EQUITY Andra implements a voluntary internal promotion policy in accordance with an agreement signed in 2012 on forward-looking management of jobs and skills. The sustained momentum in support of gender and employment equity resulted in a 10% increase in the number of women executives, from 23% in 2011 to 33% in late In accordance with the targets it had set for itself, women engineers and executives account for 30% of Andra's workforce. WORKING TOGETHER THROUGH DIALOGUE Anticipating needs and developing skills are a major challenge for successful implementation of Andra's operations. This approach is part of a continuing process of social dialogue with employee representatives and trade union organisations. In 2014 Andra brought together 12 works councils and signed seven agreements with social partners. Among these agreements are one on employee compensation, which, in keeping with the principle of equity and overall consistency, the agency would like to have based on individual and collective performance. An agreement was also signed on equal pay for equal work regardless of sex at Andra. Lastly, the profit-sharing agreement was renewed for These agreements reflect Andra's willingness to be a leader of change within the framework of active and constructive dialogue that leaves plenty of room for collective bargaining. Responsibility in action Andra 9

11 Responsibility a core value for Andra 10 Andra Responsibility in action

12 P. 12 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT This year's edition of Andra's activity report begins with a special section devoted to responsibility, a duty that is part of the agency's DNA, as evidenced by its mission and the projects it leads, and which was a prominent theme in Responsibility is a core value for Andra and is identified as such in the policy set by the agency in 2014 and during the CSR assessment conducted the same year. The sustainable development initiatives undertaken throughout 2014 exemplify this. Responsibility acting today for tomorrow. In 2014, Andra adjusted the Cigeo geological repository project in response to requests made during the public debate. Because radioactive waste management is a long-term responsibility, Andra clarified the concept of disposal reversibility, turning a technical possibility into a tool of governance so that future generations may enjoy freedom of choice: progressiveness of the project, ability to reconsider decisions, keeping options open, identification of key milestones. This freedom is real only if it is linked with efforts to perpetuate the memory of the repository, as Andra reminded during the international conference on the preservation of memory that it co-organised at Verdun. P. 13 A SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT AGENCY P A SUCCESSFUL CSR ASSESSMENT P CIGEO A PROJECT DEVELOPED IN COLLABORATION WITH SOCIETY FOR THE PAST 25 YEARS P MAKING SOCIETY A PART OF THE PROCESS P REPOSITORY ETHICS AND REVERSIBILITY P CONSTRUCTING MEMORY TOGETHER Responsibility in action Andra 11

13 RESPONSIBILITY A CORE VALUE FOR ANDRA Sustainable development Andra has adopted a comprehensive approach to sustainable development. Balancing the economic, social and environmental aspects of its operations is at the heart of its duty to manage radioactive waste. It sets sustainable development targets each year. For example, in 2014, it continued its plan to reduce travel by implementing a telecommuting programme, reduced its carbon footprint through carpooling, and instituted environmental protection measures on all its sites. Transport In kg of CO 2 released/fte* FTE 36 Telecommuting 31 Andra employees (5% of staff) telecommute since 1 March 2014 POSITIVE BALANCE SHEET satisfactory implementation better work-life balance for employees unchanged working relationships between staff unchanged relationship of trust between executive staff and telecommuters FTE: full-time equivalent ETPT Environment Green spaces are maintained in accordance with the official French Environnement ecolabel and green waste is sent to approved recycling facilities. Efforts to protect endangered species are organized on site with associations and professionals. 12 Andra Responsibility in action

14 A socially responsible government agency France has embraced nuclear energy. It is not Andra's purpose to take sides on the debate on the advantages and risks of using radioactivity. Its purpose is to provide safe and effective disposal solutions for all types of radioactive waste and for present and future generations. Far from paying lip service, Andra is firmly grounded in reality radioactive waste is a reality and we must protect ourselves and the environment from it. Andra engineers and implements solutions to manage this waste. Its roles are therefore many, ranging from industrial firm and research centre, to a provider of information and more. This responsibility takes many forms in the actions and reality of everyday life: Andra operates and monitors its surface repositories for radioactive waste. It leads research on all aspects relating to radioactive waste management. It is the owner of the Cigeo project to build a deep geological repository for the longest-lived and most radioactive waste. It works upstream with waste generators to help them to reduce the volumes of waste they produce. Volume of radioactive waste generated (in millions of m 3 ) (source: National inventory) It works in the field to remediate polluted sites, collect radioactive waste from individuals, and collect non-nuclear power plant waste (e.g., waste generated by hospitals, laboratories, research centres). Lastly, Andra has a responsibility to society. Because it plays a public role at the service of the environment and people and thus at the service of the general interest it operates in complete transparency. It prepares and publishes information on its operations and the volumes and locations of radioactive waste in France. In addition, Andra promotes dialogue with all French citizens so that the solutions it adopts meet their expectations and their concerns. end 2010 end 2013 Responsibility in action Andra 13

15 RESPONSIBILITY A CORE VALUE FOR ANDRA A successful CSR assessment Andra volunteered to undergo a CSR assessment in The assessment, which was conducted by an independent contractor, found that Andra is keen on assuming its social responsibilities and that many of the actions it has already implemented as part of its integration in local communities and its sustainable development policy are assets that will allow it to formalise a CSR policy that will encompass every aspect of the ISO standard. A voluntary approach The decision was taken to undergo a CSR assessment out of a "volunteer approach borne out of the public debate on Cigeo held in 2013," says Paul Talneau, Director of Human Resources at Andra. How Andra forms part of society and its environment is a deciding factor in the continuation of its operations. The public debate emphasised just how important it is to include all stakeholders (employees, waste generators, citizens, suppliers, public authorities, etc.). The assessment was conducted in early "It consisted of nineteen interviews with managers, employees and employee representatives at Andra, as well as three panels of ten people each a sample representing around 10% of Andra's workforce and documentary research," says Paul Talneau. The results of the assessment highlight Andra's ability to take into account all stakeholders, both within its organisation and without, its transparency, its accountability, and its willingness to include civil society in its decisions. Another strong point revealed by the assessment is that Andra's sustainable development policy includes a steering committee, a corresponding present at each site, and periodic monitoring meetings. Lastly, and unsurprisingly, there is a consensus within Andra for integrating CSR in its DNA. It practices the fundamentals of the ISO standard on corporate social responsibility. CSR is the responsibility of an organisation for the impacts of its decisions and activities on society and the environment. The international standard framework of CSR corporate social responsibility was created by the ISO standard and has been defined by 100 countries. It covers 51 issues including organisational governance, fair operating practices, employment relationships and labour practices, the environment, community involvement, and relationships with consumers and customers 14 Andra Responsibility in action

16 "We have a responsibility to dispose of radioactive waste carefully. We have a responsibility to the future, one that creates in us a strong commitment to CSR." "We must dispose of waste affordably, make our projects a part of the local community and contribute to creating a business momentum." "CSR is also an internal process that involves creating positive work environments for interns, work-placement students, disabled persons, etc." "CSR means doing things by constantly looking to strike a balance between the rights and duties of everyone." Extracts of interviews with Andra employees during the CSR assessment On the path to a formalised CSR policy "The assessment enabled us to identify our strengths and weaknesses", continues Paul Talneau. "It also provided us with a few ideas for formalising our CSR policy and build an efficient action plan that concerns all of Andra's employees, contractors and suppliers." "This CSR approach won't be just another policy," he continues. "It will be a framework that will enable Andra to increase its performance. The issue is not to fulfil a requirement of the standard, but rather to meet three key ambitions serve as a model of environmental protection, serve as an example in cost control and accountability, and become a reference in taking into consideration the interests of our stakeholders. The latter ambition was the subject of special discussion at Andra following the public debate of 2013." Responsibility in action Andra 15

17 RESPONSIBILITY A CORE VALUE FOR ANDRA Cigeo a project developed in collaboration with society for the past 25 years The project to build a geological repository for the most highly radioactive waste has been progressing and changing under society's ever-watchful eye for 23 years. Community engagement activities such as meetings with MPs, public debates, institutional assessments and exchanges with associations make Cigeo a project developed with society PUBLIC DEBATE ON CIGEO PROJECT organised by CNDP 4. More than 1000 articles and reports published 1991 The Bataille Act, which establishes a method and schedule for finding a solution for long-term management of radioactive waste, is passed The Nuclear Security and Transparency Act of 28 June 2006 designates reversible deep geological disposal as the solution for the long-term management of HLW and ILW-LL The site of the repository is chosen with members of the local community 2005 ASN 1, CNE 2, OPECST 3 and an international group of experts issues its opinion on the technical report submitted by Andra to the French government on the feasibility and safety of a deep geological repository within a 250 km 2 area around the underground research laboratory. Public debate on radioactive waste management held by CNDP 4 13 public meetings attended by 3,000 participants to discuss the management strategies under consideration 9 open debates Summary of the project owner file and debate minutes sent to 180,000 households A website where the public can find information and express its views 76,000 visits to the website 154 position papers 24 contributions 497 opinions 1508 questions? 5 general meetings 1: French Nuclear Safety Authority. 2: National Assessment Board. 3: Parliamentary Office for the Evaluation of Scientific and Technological Choices. 4: National Public Debate Commission 16 Andra Responsibility in action

18 2014 Citizens' conference organised by CNDP 4 to put the project before a panel of members of the general public Over three weekends, 17 average citizens met with experts and stakeholders of various horizons to hear them speak about the aspects, context and challenges of the Cigeo project. "At first, I didn't know anything about nuclear energy. I didn't see what I could bring to the table. Then, with each hearing, my curiosity grew and I became more and more involved. I now hope that our voices will be heard." "The entire group did its part and our debates on drafting a consensual view were heated and intense." "This conference clearly made it possible to extend the debate to local and national elected officials, local opponents and journalists who had either refused to express their views locally or were prevented from doing so and who accepted to answer the panel's questions." Information, dialogue and consultation will be present throughout the project to: Add information to the technical files Develop Cigeo's host environment Prepare the opening of the worksite Develop the environmental monitoring scheme Decide together on the steps to be taken The calendar is available on Responsibility in action Andra 17

19 RESPONSIBILITY A CORE VALUE FOR ANDRA Making society a part of the process Thibaud Labalette, Programmes Director at Andra, discusses how Andra has adjusted the Cigeo project, clarified its proposals on reversibility and restated a number of its commitments following requests that have emerged in a number of organised public debates. Following a public debate, deep geological disposal was adopted by France's Parliament in Why was a second public debate held in 2013? Thibaud Labalette: The debate in 2013 took place at a key time. We were at a point in the project's design where we could present an idea of what Cigeo could be but had not yet reached the step of filing a licence application, so we still had some leeway to adjust the project. The public debate provided us with a very important opportunity to present our solution to civil society. But isn't the subject too technical for a public debate? Thibaud Labalette: It's a matter that affects us all. You don't have to be an expert to have an opinion about it. The citizens' conference held by CNDP showed that people without any particular expertise can have an opinion about such a complex subject provided they receive training in multiple fields. In 2005 and 2006, the core issue of public debate was whether the management of radioactive waste should be entrusted to geology or to society. Today we believe that we should put our trust in both geology because deep geological disposal is an assurance of safety and society, which must continue to monitor developments at the site and have a say in decisions to be taken on matters such as waste retrievability and closure of the site. What requests were made during the debate? Thibaud Labalette: Andra adjusted the project in response to four requests add a pilot industrial phase, revise the schedule, develop a concerted management plan and involve civil society even further. Andra also clarified its definition of reversibility and reiterated its commitments. " What will future generations think of us if we pass onto them the responsibility of managing the radioactive waste generated by activities that our generation benefited from?" Question asked during the public debate 18 Andra Responsibility in action

20 A pilot industrial phase for full-scale testing What will the pilot industrial phase provide over the experiments in the underground research laboratory? Thibaud Labalette : Although the underground research laboratory provides us with a great deal of knowledge and hands-on experience in the operation of an industrial facility, it is not designed to accommodate waste packages or conduct industrial-scale tests. The pilot industrial phase will be the first step in the creation of the site. It will make it possible to test retrievability, placement of the engineered seals and disposal optimisation methods. How will this pilot phase be implemented? Thibaud Labalette: The pilot phase will be carried out over three successive stages to allow the site's operations to be progressively brought online: First, tests will be conducted using non-radioactive dummy packages representative of the actual packages that will be disposed of on the site. " Why doesn't Andra build a fullscale pilot repository on the site so that it can study all the aspects under real conditions?" Question asked during the public debate Then, tests will be conducted using a few real packages once the site receives its operating licence from ASN. This stage will be used to perform startup tests, validate the safety and radiation protection performance of the equipment, and test the inspection equipment. Lastly, the facility will be started and progressively ramped up to a rate representative of industrial conditions. During this last stage, packages representative of the inventory of high-level and long-lived intermediate level waste will be progressively placed in the facility. " The schedule changes proposed by Andra, and particularly the sending of a file detailing the key safety options at Cigeo before the filing of a licence application, are a good thing. We will only give our approval for the repository's creation if Andra provides a sufficiently detailed and supported safety demonstration." François Brottes, MP A revised schedule After the debate, Andra pushed the construction licence application for Cigeo back by two years. Why? Thibaud Labalette: The construction licence application will be completed in two stages to allow Andra to answer the technical questions raised during the debate. In late 2015 Andra will submit three preliminary files that will be used to prepare the construction licence application: A file presenting the draft of the operations master plan (see next page); A file of safety options (control of fire and other hazards, an issue raised several times during the public debate); A file on the technical options of retrievability. This file will itemise the means Andra will use to fulfil the request of France's Parliament for a reversible repository for at least 100 years. As regards the facility's future site, we are working with local bodies so that they have a complete picture of the necessary infrastructure and preparatory work (creation of an electrical substation, roadworks, building of a connection to the railway line, water supply lines, etc.). Responsibility in action Andra 19

21 RESPONSIBILITY A CORE VALUE FOR ANDRA A concerted management plan for the repository How does the operations master plan meet a request made during the public debate? Thibaud Labalette: The public debate confirmed our belief " The departments must take part in the that a project of this scale requires adopting a step-by-step approach in partnership with all the project's stakeholders. Andra therefore proposes 10-year review that will be conducted that Cigeo's operations master plan not just be developed with the to adjust Cigeo to scientific and project's technical and industrial stakeholders and civil society, but be shared with them as well. Meetings with the rest of society will be held technological changes, institutional on a regular basis over the repository's lifetime so that we all may decide assessments and local issues." together, at each step, how to proceed to the following step. Each step in the closure of the repository will thus be the subject of a specific decision. General Council of the Meuse department These steps will be decided by future generations. The operations master plan will define the steps in the repository's operation and the rate and order in which packages will be disposed of. It will also set out the testing programme of the pilot industrial phase and determine any relaxations in rules (such as disposal of spent fuel considered as waste). Lastly, it will include a projected timetable for the gradual sealing of the underground cells and drifts up to Cigeo's final closure, which can be decided only by legislation. The operations master plan may be reviewed at the end of pilot industrial phase and then once every ten years at the very least. If the project's stakeholders are involved at the right time, they provide the insight needed to include their expectations in the proposals we submit to the government. " The open debate held on 20 November 2013 confirmed two requests from the public (i) to take into account the opinions issued and (ii) to develop a multidisciplinary assessment conducted by new bodies. These two requests reflect a requirement of transparency and safety." Extract from the report on the public debate Greater involvement of civil society How can consultation be promoted? Thibaud Labalette: Andra undertakes to make information more accessible and promote discussions and consultation with experts and the public around the Cigeo project and its impacts. In concrete terms, the operations master plan will be written and revised with the stakeholders, and discussions on the documents submitted to ASN for its review will be scheduled with the underground research laboratory's local information and oversight committee (Clis). Andra is also going to develop multidisciplinary expertise, particularly by participating in the dialogue initiated by the French national association of local information commissions and committees (ANCCLI), the Clis and the Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN). Andra is also going to strengthen its relationship with civil society through a multidisciplinary committee that will be in charge of helping it to include society's concerns in its operations. Society's involvement, marked by key events such as the public debate, is a continuous approach that we have been pursuing since the project's start. Radioactive waste management is not something that affects just Andra, it affects all citizens. 20 Andra Responsibility in action

22 " Do we know for sure that it will be possible to retrieve and reprocess Clarifications about reversibility at Cigeo Reversibility has long been a request. What effects did the debate have on it? Thibaud Labalette:The repository's reversibility is an aspect that was requested by members of society during the public debate in 2005 and 2006 and a requirement of the Bataille Act of The debate held in 2013 allowed Andra the possibility to clarify Cigeo's reversibility in technical and ethical terms. In technical terms, the pilot industrial phase will make it possible to test Andra's ability under real conditions to retrieve disposed of waste packages. But beyond package retrievability, reversibility in radioactive waste disposal is a legacy that we can pass on to future generations. Reversibility such as Andra sees it, in steps over a period of 100 years, is an answer to the ethical question of transgenerational responsibility that was raised during the public debate. It gives future generations the freedom to these highly radioactive substances if the technology changes? " question raised during the public debate choose to keep the site open, to make changes to it or to opt for other solutions developed through research. Geological disposal is a safe, final solution for the most highly radioactive waste. Reversible geological disposal is the assurance that this underground facility is placed under society's control. " We don't know of any other industry that is as monitored, audited and inspected as ours." Andra employee Strong commitments Guarantee safety above all else Safety is at the heart of the Cigeo project, whose sole aim is protect people and the environment over the long term from the hazards posed by the most highly radioactive waste. Authorisation to build Cigeo will be granted only when Andra demonstrates that it controls all the risks related to the site both during its operation and after its closure. Protect and develop the host environment Cigeo will be a growth-generating industrial project for the Meuse and Haute-Marne departments. Andra undertakes to: Work with the national government and local authorities to plan the infrastructure required to build and commission Cigeo. Actively contribute to all initiatives conducted to assess Cigeo's local socioeconomic impact. Review a "Major Worksite" label request for the Cigeo project. Contain costs Andra constantly strives to optimise the cost of the repository without compromising on safety and security, which remain the overriding priority. It finalised its cost assessment and submitted it to the French government in late The minister of energy may decide on a new estimate and make it public. Cigeo changing with society now and in the future. Responsibility in action Andra 21

23 RESPONSIBILITY A CORE VALUE FOR ANDRA Repository ethics and reversibility Cigeo is intended to serve as a final repository for the most highly radioactive waste. It presents a safety challenge to protect people and the environment from the dangerousness of waste and an ethical challenge we must assume our responsibilities and not pass on to future generations the burden of the waste generated by activities we benefit from today. The solution to these challenges is to dispose of this waste in a protective layer of clay located 500 metres below ground. Nonetheless, the citizens who expressed their views about the repository project during the public debates held in 2005, 2006 and 2013 asked many questions: Who will decide the site's schedule? Who will close Cigeo and when? What if future generations develop more satisfactory solutions for dealing with this waste or ways of harnessing residual radioactivity? In short, how can we assume our responsibilities which is our duty whilst allowing future generations the freedom to make their own choices? Responding to a strong social demand, France's Parliament incorporated in the Planning Act of 28 June 2006 a requirement that the Cigeo repository be reversible for at least 100 years. Retrievability a condition of reversibility Andra has conducted research on the retrievability of waste, i.e., the technical possibility of removing waste packages from their repository. The equipment that will be used to position the packages in the disposal cells will also be designed to remove them. Everything, from the arrangement and shape of the packages to the structural soundness of the drifts will have to be designed to allow the possibility of package retrieval for at least 100 years. The pilot industrial phase decided following the public debate will make it possible to conduct retrievability tests under real conditions. A year after the public debate held in 2013, Andra clarified the concept of reversibility through its proposed adjustments to the Cigeo project (see previous pages). By adding a pilot industrial phase, Andra meets a request of society to conduct retrievability tests under real conditions. Offer choices to future generations Beyond these technical aspects, reversibility is a way to give each future generation the freedom to choose how it will manage radioactive waste over the long term. Retrievability: The ability to remove waste packages from a deep geological repository Pusher robot test bed for waste package emplacement and removal operations. S-configuration. Reversibility: The ability to provide the following generation with choices for long-term waste management (facility closure, retrieval of waste packages, etc.). This ability is guaranteed by progressive, flexible development of the repository. 22 Andra Responsibility in action

24 Reversibility of radioactive waste disposal Follow us on dailymotion.com/andra Directed by Olivier Marchon of Tulipes & Cie, this animated film explains the principle of reversibility at Cigeo to teachers and their students. It received the best film award in the "Innovations and Technological Revolutions" category at the Deauville Green Awards. Our generation will devote a great deal of resources to provide the next generation with a solution for managing the radioactive waste we will have generated. The generation after that will remain free to use the repository or to adapt it. A year after the public debate held in 2013, Andra proposed the creation of the Cigeo operations master plan. This plan allows participative management of the repository project by providing a picture of the various steps in its development over a period of more than 100 years. To pave the way for future decisions, Andra has proposed meetings that would be held once every 10 years and would bring together all the project's stakeholders (scientific review bodies, elected officials, local residents, associations, local authorities, members of national government). Cigeo's closure is a choice for society to make and which can only be possible by the passing of new legislation by France's Parliament. Cigeo will continue to be monitored for as long as society wishes after its closure, and actions will be implemented to create a perpetual reminder of the facility's existence. V I E W P O I N T S We automatically associate the idea of responsibility with our past actions: "I am responsible for what I've done, but how can I be responsible for what does not yet exist or for what I have not yet done?" The idea of having a responsibility to future generations is indeed very surprising. It is quite recent, emerging with the development of technologies that can have consequences particularly environmental on generations far removed from our own. Examples include climate change, the planet's shrinking biodiversity and, obviously, the risks posed by radioactive waste. We are responsible for our actions and for the consequences on the future. We have moral obligations and, therefore, obligations to act. Naturally, long-lived radioactive waste mean that this responsibility extends even further forward in time. Every generation has its own choices to make But this must not lead us to forget another obligation we have to future generations that of leaving them free to make their own choices. Naturally, we inherit the consequences of the choices made by previous generations. But there is an element of the unknown that we must maintain because therein lies the freedom of those who come after us. When, for example, citizens demand that a repository be reversible, Jean Caron Professor of philosophy, Classes Préparatoires Responsibility to future generations a recent concern, new duties they illustrate a dual concern that of protecting future generations, naturally, but also that of leaving them free to make their own choices. Decisions guided by ethics Radioactive waste obliges us to meld science with technology, ethics and politics. Scientists play a vital role because we cannot define our duties without knowing what the consequences of our actions will be. There is no responsibility without knowledge. Ethics must help us to clarify questions that are posed and to take conscious decisions. Ethics are not there to justify an ideological position but to address all the issues of a question. There is thus a need for a real dialogue. Because although ethics enlighten our values and our duties, the values we adhere to can be different. There is not just one code of ethics or just one type of ethical behaviour. Therein lies the essential role of democracy once the stakes are made clear, we must continue to debate to take decisions both democratically and conscientiously. Jean Caron is the author of "Générations futures, sans voix ni droit?" (Future generations voiceless and rightless?), published in Revue Projet, No. 330, October Responsibility in action Andra 23

25 RESPONSIBILITY A CORE VALUE FOR ANDRA Constructing memory together François-Michel Gonnot, Chairman of Andra, making the opening statement at the International Conference and Debate on the Preservation of Records, Knowledge and Memory (RK&M) of Radioactive Waste across Generations held at Verdun in September Because radioactive waste is potentially hazardous, it is our responsibility to do everything to preserve the memory of waste repositories. The aim is two-fold: prevent voluntary or accidental intrusions and allow future generations to take fully informed decisions. Andra presented the full range of its memory-keeping provisions during the International Conference and Debate on the Preservation of Records, Knowledge and Memory (RK&M) of Radioactive Waste across Generations organised at Verdun in September 2014 by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) with Andra's support. "Various memory-keeping provisions are being implemented in Andra's CSA and CSM repositoes," says Patrick Charton, coordinator of Andra's research programme on memory preservation. These provisions are designed to transfer the memory of these facilities across at least 15 to 20 generations, or around at least five centuries. They include archives (written documents, photos, illustrations, technical diagrams) in both digital format and as hard copies printed on acid-free paper with acrylic ink that remains stable for several centuries. A copy of each record is kept in the national archives and at its home repository. Every 10 years a group of experts assesses the accessibility and clarity of the information in the CSM's archives by putting themselves in the shoes of future generations. Their findings are used to improve the memory-keeping provision over time. Using memory to promote discussion "Added to this is an active memory, which is our ability to maintain a relationship with citizens through our information and communication initiatives. In 2014, one of the forms of active memory that we experimented with in collaboration with a local residents' association was recording the memories of Andra employees and citizens who witnessed the CSA's construction," continues Patrick Charton. "Memory bridges the gap between engineers and society because it is something that affects us all, unlike the concerns of engineers, which often only interest specialists. It can even lead to constructive discussions with people who are against the repository and with whom we share a common ground in that these waste repositories are the legacy that we will leave to future generations and that we will have to do the best we can." Memory over the very long term is one of the issues posed by the Cigeo deep geological repository project, which is designed to last for hundreds of thousands of years. "We have technical solutions, such as discs made of industrial sapphire and which have an expected lifetime of 2 million years. That is all well and good, but what kind of data will be stored on them and in what form? What institution will be able to store them over time?" asks Patrick Charton. If these technical issues remain topical, the cultural aspect of memory is growing in importance. During the Verdun conference, some artists suggested that repositories become functional or cultural community landmarks, such as meeting points, art exhibition halls and memorials. The memory Andra's film La Mémoire, témoin du passé pour les temps futurs (Memory A Witness from the Past for Future Times) is available on Dailymotion. Follow us on dailymotion.com/andra 24 Andra Responsibility in action

26 of these places would thus be "naturally" preserved by the local population through mechanisms that are selfperpetuating and highly lasting. What message for the future? The Verdun conference also provided the opportunity to discuss the type of message to be passed on to future generations. For Patrick Charton, "Sending a frightening message without any explanations could be counterproductive and may incite explorers to start digging on the site of the repository. We prefer taking a pedagogical approach that tells future generations exactly what is below ground and allows them to take the decisions they deem necessary." A common refrain heard during the conference was the necessity to disseminate information in as many different ways as possible "There is no "silver bullet" for preserving memory over very long periods. We will have to use a set of solutions, some of which we will attempt to show will be able to last over time," emphasises Patrick Charton. Andra is therefore conducting additional research that combines several disciplines, including landscape archaeology, linguistics, materials ageing, semiotics, and human and social sciences for each of the three components of memory message, physical medium and transmission. "Memory is a continuum. We must work at every time scale at the same time, from the most recent to the most distant," says Patrick Charton. Responsibility in action Andra 25

27 2014 at Andra 26

28 P was a year of progress for Andra: Progress was made with research into sealing and excavation, two key aspects of the disposal of radioactive waste. The Cigeo project progressed from the initial planning phase to the industrial design phase, a prerequisite for the preparation of the construction licence application. The initial results of geological investigations enabled the LLW-LL project to be specified in more detail. Andra's disposal facilities in Aube diversified their service offering to provide even more comprehensive waste management services. Andra continued to support waste producers in France and elsewhere, in particular with the development of solutions upstream of disposal. Two cleanup projects in France were completed in Because it is actively engaged with the areas where its facilities are located, Andra involved in their development. And lastly, because radioactive waste management concerns us all, Andra continued its efforts to provide information and conduct dialogue. RESEARCH AND INNOVATION P DESIGN AND REALISATION P OPERATION AND MONITORING P SUPPORT AND PROMOTION P LOCAL INVOLVEMENT P INFORMATION AND DIALOGUE 27

29 A YEAR AT ANDRA RESEARCH AND INNOVATION Andra conducts research into the disposal and storage of radioactive waste in France. In 2014, Andra's researchers and engineers continued their trials and research into excavation techniques and seals for the Cigeo project. Andra also signed some important research partnership agreements and filed some new patent applications for its inventions. Cigeo New excavation techniques Trials aimed at creating disposal cells for high-level waste (HLW) continued in 2014 with the excavation at the Meuse/Haute-Marne Centre of a new 40 m-long cell concept. Andra's researchers tested the filling of the space between the rock and the metal sleeve of the cell with cement grout. A study of the sleeve deformation is currently in progress. Further tests are planned at the end of 2015 and in 2016 on 80 m-long cells and using industrial methods for filling the space. Two-stage excavation to limit rock damage The design of a waste disposal facility needs to preserve the properties of the rock. To achieve this, the impact of excavation on the rock has to be kept to a minimum. A new two-stage excavation method was tested in 2014 at the Meuse/Haute-Marne Centre: the DPC (Déconfinement Préalable au Creusement) method. It consists of excavating a small-diameter drift to cause the initial mechanical unloading, then enlarging the drift a few months later, benefiting from the initial unloading to limit the damage ultimately caused to the rock. The diameter of a 43 m-long drift was therefore increased from 3.5 m to 5 m between July and October Ongoing seal testing As part of its construction licence application for Cigeo, Andra has to demonstrate to the assessors that it can seal off the disposal facility. Research on various scales is being carried out on the properties of bentonite (a type of clay that swells when it becomes wet), which Testing a new excavation method (DPC experiment) will be used as the core of the seals, and on the overall performance of the seals (see interview on p. 29). At the end of 2014, Andra's teams tested the removal of the ground supports in a drift 445 m down at the Meuse/ Haute-Marne Centre. When the time comes, and once permission has been granted, the ground supports will be removed at the Cigeo facility to ensure there is direct contact between the argillaceous rock and the swelling clay core of the seals closing off the shafts and ramps linking the underground facility with the surface. One by one, Andra's teams removed the metal arches providing support for the drift along a 6 m length. The test demonstrated the technical feasibility of the operation. The observations made and measurements taken show that the ground holds up well and that the deformation of the walls remains negligible. Long-term monitoring of the structure and of the permeability of the surrounding rock has been set up. 28

30 Seals under test GILLES ARMAND JEAN-MICHEL BOSGIRAUD Demonstrating the close links between research and engineering, Gilles Armand, Head of Fluid and Solid Mechanics (R&D division), and Jean-Michel Bosgiraud, technological testing manager (Cigeo project and Engineering division), bring us up to date on the seal tests conducted in Developing an industrial sealing method Jean-Michel Bosgiraud: As part of the FSS (Full Scale Seal) experiments included in the European Dopas project, Andra has begun to build a model representing a section of a drift at Cigeo, inside a warehouse in Saint-Dizier. In 2014 we sealed this drift model which is 10 m in diameter. We used two different techniques to create the retaining plugs used to contain the bentonite seal core when it swells. One of the plugs was made with a liquid self-compacting concrete, and the industrial shotcrete method was used for the other plug. We will be able to compare the results achieved with the two techniques. For the 750 m³ seal core made from bentonite, we used a mixture of powder and pellets, and the filling was done with conveyor tubes. Now we are looking at the fill quality of the seal core and the retaining walls. In 2015 we will be deconstructing the seal, which will enable us to work out a dismantling method. This could be useful if we ever have to start recovering disposal containers. Understanding the bentonite hydration process Gilles Armand: The FSS test is being used to develop an industrial sealing method. But we cannot work at full scale when studying the hydration and swelling of bentonite because it would take several thousand years to totally resaturate 750 m³ of bentonite! So we are performing a small-scale resaturation test known as REM (Resaturation à l'echelle Métrique) in the Technological Exhibition Facility at the Meuse/Haute-Marne Centre. This consists of a stainless steel vat filled during 2014 with 1 m³ of bentonite, which we are gradually hydrating. Hundreds of sensors will enable us to monitor the hydration process and the swelling pressure until the core is completely saturated in 30 to 60 years' time. Studying the hydraulic performance of a seal in situ G. A.: Midway between the full size technological demonstration model and the REM trial, Andra is conducting the NSC (Noyau de SCellement) seal core experiment looking at the hydromechanical behaviour and hydraulic performance of a seal core. This study is taking place in a drift at the Meuse/Haute-Marne Centre. The drift diameter is about 5 m, so half the size of the drifts planned for Cigeo. Here we are interested in the functioning of a seal consisting of two concrete walls and a core of compacted bentonite blocks. In 2014 we began the artificial hydration of the core. The complete saturation of the area being studied, which we are monitoring with lots of sensors, will take between 1 and 3 years, because we have placed a large number of hydration devices inside the bentonite core. J-M. B.: In addition to those trials, we are also conducting the BHN (Bentonite Hydratation Naturelle) natural hydration experiment, which also began in This consists of monitoring the natural hydration by rock of a seal 3 m in length in a tunnel with a diameter of 70 cm, at the Meuse/Haute-Marne Centre. All these experiments complement one another and should give us a good overview of the sealing process of structures in the Callovo-Oxfordian layer. CELL SEALING TESTS IN IMAGES Follow us on dailymotion.com/andra 29

31 A YEAR AT ANDRA Presentation concerning the call for proposals for R&D with the ANR Major partnership projects Andra takes part in national, European and international research programmes as project leader or as an active team member. Andra also works with waste producers in France to find new upstream management methods for radioactive waste from dismantling. Participation in the Investment in the Future Programme A supplemental agreement to the Investment in the Future Programme launched by the French government in was signed in It enlarges the scope of Andra's activity as regards both its R&D topics and its potential partners. Within this framework, Andra launched a call for proposals with France's national research agency, ANR. The aim is to foster innovative initiatives concerning the Signature of the partnership agreement with Ineris management of radioactive waste from the dismantling of nuclear facilities. The call for proposals is open to academic laboratories and to private companies, particularly SMEs and mid-cap companies, and offers total funding of 45 million euros for innovative projects. It aims particularly to encourage the transposition to radioactive waste management of expertise in other sectors and to attract companies that are not part of the nuclear sector. Andra, CEA and AREVA work in partnership to reduce the volume of alpha waste Another part of the Investment in the Future Programme is the development by Andra, AREVA and CEA of an innovative incineration/vitrification process (PIVIC project) for alpha radioactive waste. Alpha waste is produced mainly by AREVA's MOX fuel manufacturing plant, and a particular characteristic of this waste is that it contains a mixture of organic materials and metals contaminated with plutonium. It is innovative because it simultaneously uses the incineration of the organic materials, the melting of the metals, and the vitrification of the products thus formed, in order to contain the radioelements. These operations are performed in a crucible (or in can ). The crucible itself is a component of the future waste package. The incineration/vitrification of this waste could reduce the volume of waste by a factor of 15 compared with the raw waste. New partnership agreement between Andra and Ineris At the end of 2014, Andra and the French National Institute for the Study of Industrial Environments and Risks (Ineris) signed a research partnership agreement for four years, extending a collaboration begun in The agreement covers the core areas of expertise of Andra and Ineris. Together they plan to develop projects and research and to share both their methodological and scientific expertise and their expertise in experimentation. Andra and Ineris are now working on the development of laws for the thermal, hydrological and mechanical behaviour of argillites, i.e. laws coupling the behaviour of the interstitial water with the behaviour of the solids, to assist with the conceptual and structural design of underground structures. They are also developing devices for the monitoring and seismo-acoustic surveillance of the subsoil. The work being done on modelling and on surveillance devices is particularly important for Andra as R&D for the Cigeo project enters a more operational phase. Andra, secretary general of the IGD-TP Since 2011 Andra has been performing the role of secretary general of the IGD-TP (Implementing Geological Disposal of Radioactive Waste Technology Platform). This platform was set up in 2009 by similar European agencies and bodies responsible for managing radioactive waste in order to pool European research into geological waste disposal. Andra's term of office was renewed for two years in June Andra puts its thermodynamic data on line Since March 2014 Andra has been making its thermodynamic data available to the international scientific community on the website www. thermochimie-tdb.com. The development of this database known as Thermochimie, is based on funda- 30

32 mental research and predictive modelling conducted in collaboration with Amphos 21, BGRM and CNRS. New patents for 2014 Andra regularly files patent applications, partly to retain ownership of the innovative technologies it develops and partly to retain the possibility of generating revenue from its inventions abroad or in sectors other than radioactive waste management. The patents granted in 2014 include four that are particularly outstanding for their level of innovation: The Evertherm process for the remote recalibration of fibre optic sensors, which can prevent discrepancies between actual and measured temperatures. The technology was developed in liaison with the French National Testing Laboratory (LNE) and will be useful for monitoring concrete structures that are difficult to access, such as the future disposal cells at Cigeo. Prémorail shelters, mobile roofs on rails developed for Cires to protect cells while they are being excavated and filled (see page 37). Hydrogen detection and proportioning technology by Brillouin, which, because of its very low detection thresholds, can increase the capacity for and precision of detection of the hydrogen released by some ILW-LL. Areva has already expressed an interest in using this technology for its radioactive waste storage facilities. The cast iron package, a package concept designed during prospective research carried out by Andra on recycling steel from the dismantling of nuclear facilities. It consists of a cast iron container with a lid that allows non-destructive testing to be carried out and guarantees the packages are sealed. Installation of the Evertherm cartridge New Prémorail mobile shelter at Cires 31

33 A YEAR AT ANDRA DESIGN AND REALISATION Designing management solutions for the longest-lived radioactive waste is one of Andra's core missions. In 2014 further progress was made with the Cigeo underground disposal facility project for the most highly radioactive waste, moving from the initial planning phase to the reference industrial design stage. The LLW-LL project for the disposal of low-level waste also moved forward with the arrival of the initial findings from geological investigations. HLW container being transferred by funicular to the disposal area Cigeo project In 2014 Andra continued its work on the initial plan for the Cigeo project, which it has improved and converted into a reference industrial design (see the interview on page 33). Other key events in 2014: the start of geotechnical survey work on the site in the autumn, and the submission of the technical cost estimate for the project to the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy in October. Start of geotechnical survey work In late September, twenty-two boreholes for carrying out geotechnical survey work were dug around the Technological Exhibition Facility, on the site where the facilities for waste reception, control and preparation might be located. The collected data will be used in the preparation of the preliminary design. Redesigned buildings Andra and its contractors have made some changes to the initial plans for the project in order to improve the surface facilities. Some of the buildings not used for nuclear activities (visitor centre, staff catering, training centre, workshops, etc.) have now been combined with the existing facilities at the Meuse/Haute- Marne Centre, enabling their number to be reduced from 70 in the initial plan to 50 in the reference design. The surface nuclear facilities to be used for checking and preparing the packages before they are transferred to the underground facility, have also been redesigned as part of the project design process. The size of those facilities was originally designed to be able to cope with waste deliveries that would sometimes be quite large. Andra worked with the waste producers to adjust their delivery rates, enabling the size of the buildings to be reduced. Other options are being studied to reduce the overall size of the buildings and keep their visual impact to a minimum. Gradual deployment The disposal area for intermediate-level long-lived waste (ILW-LL) will be built in two stages to give the project greater flexibility. The design of the disposal area for high-level waste (HLW) has been revised to take account of the latest calculations of the heat given off by this waste in the disposal facility and to protect the host rock. Some improvement options are still being studied, e.g. lengthening the disposal cells for HLW from 100 m to 150 m. 32

34 Two-tunnel facility with a funicular Andra has opted for an underground structure consisting of two parallel drifts allowing the part in use to be separated from the part being excavated, making the two parts independent of one another. The waste could be conveyed from the surface to the underground facility by a truck or a funicular. The funicular was ultimately chosen by Andra, which has selected the Poma group for its design and construction. The funicular will cover a distance of 4.2 km and will make it possible to lower packages to a depth of 500 m in half an hour, including loading and unloading. The contract, which is worth 68 million euros, will take fifteen years to execute and includes the construction of a full-size demonstration model. A project already engaged with the local area The prospect of Cigeo's arrival means planning certain preparatory work, such as building an electricity substation, building roads, creating a connection to the rail network, and providing a water supply. Plans also need to be made for employees and their families coming to live in the area. These issues will be dealt with in liaison with local players within the framework of the regional development contract managed by the Meuse prefecture. They will be included in the project impact assessment. Project cost: Andra has submitted its estimate Andra has estimated the total cost of Cigeo (investment and running costs for construction, maintenance and dismantling) based on the initial plan for the project and the improvements made in In October Andra sent this estimate to the ministry responsible for energy. In accordance with the 2006 Act, the government is responsible for approving and publishing the cost estimate following consultation with the French nuclear safety authority (ASN) and the energy producers (EDF, CEA and AREVA). From initial plan to reference industrial design JEAN-MARIE KRIEGUER The Cigeo project is becoming more clearly defined: following the presentation of an initial plan for the project in early 2013, Andra produced a reference industrial design in mid Jean-Marie Krieguer, deputy project leader of Cigeo, brings us up to date on an important stage in the project. How was the transition from the initial planning phase to the industrial design phase made? Jean-Marie Krieguer: The industrial design is the result of improvements made to the initial plan between early 2013 and mid For 18 months, independent experts, contractors and Andra experts worked to evaluate and refine the project. The public debate held in 2013 gave Andra an opportunity to listen to questions and suggestions from civil society and the general public. The public debate also helped to move the project forward, for example through the addition of a pilot industrial phase. In parallel with the public debate, a group of independent experts appointed by the French Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy carried out a very detailed examination of the outline plan. The purpose of that review was to decide whether or not to give permission for the preliminary design stage to begin. This is the last step in the Cigeo design process. The experts asked for further studies to be carried out on the architecture of the ramps and underground drifts (two-tunnel versus single-tunnel) and on the method for conveying the packages from the surface to the bottom (funicular versus truck). As a result of these further studies, the two-tunnel and funicular options were judged most appropriate, particularly with regard to controlling the fire risk, and the experts approved the initial plan. The initial plan for the project was also used as the basis for making technical improvements to the project. We did this in liaison with our principal contractor, Gaiya. Together we specified and refined the design of the various project components and the operating principles at each stage (operational aspects, civil engineering, equipment, construction site organisation and management, etc.). Among other things we opted for the gradual deployment of the underground facility and improved the technical processes for transferring and handling the waste. What happens now? J-M. K.: In June 2014 we settled on the improvements that we were going to include in the reference industrial design. This design will be used as the basis for preparing the preliminary design for Cigeo, which will be submitted in 2015 for a further expert review and to our assessors. The basic design process will then continue in order to allow the construction licence application for Cigeo to be prepared. 33

35 A YEAR AT ANDRA LLW-LL project In France there is still no long-term management solution suitable for lowlevel long-lived waste (LLW-LL). Most of this waste has already been produced and is stored temporarily at its place of production or at legacy sites where activities involving radioactivity were carried out. Andra is responsible for finding a site for the disposal of this waste. Since 2013 Andra has been carrying out geological investigations at five locations in the Soulaines area (Aube department), with permission from and in consultation with local elected officials. The aim is to produce a detailed mapping of the subsoil in order to determine whether the site would be suitable as the location of a near-surface waste repository (see interview opposite). In parallel with this, a consultation agreement was signed in February 2014 between elected officials in the Soulaines area, the waste producers and Andra to set the terms of a dialogue and to define the measures that could accompany the siting of a waste repository. A progress report will be published in mid-2015 on the studies conducted by Andra for the LLW-LL project. Geological investigations platform for the LLW-LL project in Aube 34

36 Initial geological investigation findings PIERRE ROBIN EMILIA HURET The geological investigations began in 2013 on land in the Soulaines area and were completed in late Pierre Robin, a drilling expert at Andra, discusses the various investigative techniques used and Emilia Huret, a geological engineer at Andra, explains the initial findings of the investigations. What did you actually have to do on site? Pierre Robin: We used a combination of approaches to map the soil across the whole area of investigation. To find out the physical properties of the subsoil, we performed 120 km of geophysical measurements. For example, we would pass an electric current, a magnetic field or an acoustic vibration through the soil to obtain something akin to an ultrasound of the subsoil. We also dug some geotechnical boreholes to find out how stable the ground was to a depth of 30 m, and we also extracted rock and fluid samples at depths of more than 120 m from about a dozen boreholes. Lastly, we dug piezometric boreholes to monitor the groundwater over a 12-month period. What were the findings of your investigations? Emilia Huret: The purpose of the geological investigations was to analyse the different geological formations in the area, specifically the clay formations. Through the work we did, we were able to estimate their thickness and spread, establish their properties, and check their homogeneity. Our findings enabled us to model the geological environment in 3D and verify that there is little variation in the properties of the clay formations. These were relatively impermeable clays at a depth of less than 5 m; in places they were as much as 80 m thick. The region is in the Paris basin, which has a very low seismic risk. We have mapped the faults close to this area and established that they are very small and have been inactive for more than 20 million years. What happens now? E. H.: By analysing the countryside, we are looking at how the area will evolve in the next tens of thousands of years in the various possible climate scenarios. We are also still gathering data about some of the properties of the clay, using samples in a laboratory. For example, we are measuring the mechanical strength of the rock, which enables us to assess how the clay will behave during excavation work. All this data the data we have already collected and the data we still need to obtain will feed into the preparation of the application that Andra will submit to the government in THE GEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS IN IMAGES Follow us on dailymotion.com/andra 35

37 A YEAR AT ANDRA OPERATION AND MONITORING Improve, adapt, renew and monitor: those four words sum up 2014 at Andra's waste disposal facilities in Aube and Manche. Those twelve months were brimful of activity at facilities constantly seeking to improve the services they provide. Cires CSA CSM Waste Collection, Storage and Disposal Facility Has accepted and disposed of very low-level waste (VLLW) since 2003; it has collected and stored non-nuclear power waste since HECTARES in the Morvilliers and La Chaise areas (Aube department) Waste disposal facility in Aube Has accepted low-level and intermediate-level short-lived waste (LILW-SL) since HECTARES in the Soulaines- Dhuys, Epothémont and Ville-aux-Bois areas (Aube department) Waste disposal facility in Manche Accepted low-level and intermediate-level short-lived waste (LILW-SL) from 1969 to HECTARES in the Digulleville area (Manche department) 27,112 m 3 OF VLLW DISPOSED OF IN ,803 m 3 OF LILW-SL PACKAGES DISPOSED OF IN 2014 Monitoring DURING THIS PHASE, CSM IS NOT ACCEPTING ANY MORE PACKAGES 43 % OF ITS TOTAL LICENSED DISPOSAL CAPACITY HAS BEEN FILLED 29 % OF ITS TOTAL LICENSED DISPOSAL CAPACITY HAS BEEN FILLED 100 % OF ITS TOTAL LICENSED DISPOSAL CAPACITY HAS BEEN FILLED 36

38 Cires Waste collection, storage and disposal facility Sorting and treatment at Cires Currently, all waste collected by Andra that is not produced by the nuclear power industry is taken to Cires. It is then disposed of on the site or transferred to Socatri, a sorting and treatment company based in the south of France. Andra has decided to perform the sorting and treatment of this waste at Cires to ensure it is fully managed, which will reduce costs and transport needs. In June 2014 Andra submitted a construction licence application to the government for an extension to the building used to collect the waste, and an operating licence application for Cires. If Andra obtains the operating licence, the sorting and treatment activities are scheduled to start in the second quarter of Renewal of the VLLW management contract In June 2014 Andra, AREVA, CEA and EDF signed a contract for the management of very low-level waste (VLLW) at Cires during the period. In addition to pricing, the contract establishes the mutual commitments of the parties to improve the way the packages are managed. The contract represents a commitment to manage more than 30,000 m³ of waste each year at an annual cost of around 14 million euros. Steam generators and... the keel of a boat In April 2014, Cires received the last two steam generators from the Chooz A nuclear power plant (Ardennes), which is in the process of being dismantled. The shape and weight of this waste (14 m long, 3 m in diameter and nearly 100 tonnes each) meant that standard waste management methods could not be used. The steam generators had to be placed on a reinforced concrete slab specially created in the cell. Other low-level and intermediate-level long-lived waste (LILW-LL) not produced by the nuclear power industry, previously stored at a number of different sites in France, continued to be brought to Cires in One particularly unusual item was the depleted uranium keel of Eric Tabarly's boat, the famous Pen Duick! Prémorail, innovative mobile shelters Andra engineers have developed a new mobile shelter system for protecting waste disposal cells from bad weather, from excavation until they are no longer in use. Whereas the Bâtibulles previously in use had to be moved by enormous cranes, the new mobile shelters, known as Prémorail, move on rails. A patent was granted in early 2014 for this innovative system. Meet the inventors: Philippe Pellerej, geotechnical engineer, and Arnaud Morat, mechanical engineer. What was so innovative? Philippe Pellerej: Primarily the fact that they can move independently. The Prémorail shelters are modular structures consisting of 18 sections each measuring 10 m in length, which move on rails. The shelters can move along the length of the cells, but also sideways from one cell to another. They are also watertight: placed end to end the sections form a 180 m-long shelter that is completely watertight because of the protective covers added between each assembly. Arnaud Morat: And lastly safety. Work at height is no longer necessary when transferring them from one cell to another or for maintenance. There is a walkway along the top ridge of the Prémorail shelter so that the lighting can be replaced or the covers controlled in complete safety. Moving the Bâtibulles was a long process (it took nearly 2 months) and was also expensive (it cost around 400,000 euros). So we needed buildings that were quicker and cheaper to move and did not require work at height. With Prémorail, the time it takes to move a shelter from one cell to another is estimated to be 20 days at a cost 5 to 8 times lower than before. What were the main difficulties? P. P.: The Prémorail shelters run on rails at the very edge of the cell sides, which slope at an angle of 53 to a depth of 8 m. Building the foundations was therefore one of the main difficulties. A. M.: The Prémorail shelters are the result of a close collaboration between geotechnical and mechanical engineers working to optimise the interaction between the foundations and the building. How far have you come with the installation? P. P.: The two Prémorail shelters were put into use at the same time. The first cell covered by the shelters will be operational by September or October Witness the installation of the first Prémorail shelters Follow us on dailymotion.com/andra 37

39 A YEAR AT ANDRA CSA Sealing of a disposal structure at CSA Waste disposal facility in Aube CSA has evolved and will now host a new package control facility, which will perform analyses on the site that are currently performed partly by a subcontractor. The facility should save time, cut costs and reduce the need for waste to be transported. The civil engineering work was completed in October and now the decoration and fitting out of the buildings is being done by local companies. The facility should be operational by the second quarter of 2016, subject to an operating licence being granted by the French nuclear safety authority, ASN. Uninterrupted operation The construction of a new series of 25 disposal structures known as Unit 9 began in the summer of 2014 to enable the facility to operate without interruption. Unit 9 could receive its first packages in mid Second campaign of LNS packages from Creys-Malville In late June 2014 CSA received fourteen packages (lateral neutron shielding) from the dismantling of the Superphenix plant at Creys-Malville in Isère. These very large packages required a special type of management: they were unloaded direct into the disposal structure. The inside of the packages was then filled with mortar and the disposal process continued in the normal way. Robots for sealing The CSA waste disposal structures are sealed using a polyurethane resin to prevent water coming through the concrete used to cover them once they are full. In 2014, for the very first time, the sealing process of the disposal structures was carried out by robots. The use of robots for this process both improves the precision of the resin projection and reduces the amount of time spent by personnel in close proximity to the products used in the operation. Safety first On 19 June a waste package fell 8 m inside the structure in which it was to be disposed of. Luckily, nobody was hurt by the falling package and there was no environmental impact. The feedback from this event led to some material improvements being made, in particular the elimination of cumulative vertical and horizontal movements when moving packages. Safety was also the focus of an exercise carried out on 17 November as part of the on-site emergency plan. Andra regularly tests the implementation of this plan in different scenarios such as a serious accident with human casualties, fire, the dispersal of radioactive material, etc. This time the scenario was a collision between a commercial vehicle and a lorry carrying packages of LILW-SL waste, causing packages to be dropped. The assessment of the exercise showed that the measures in place to deal with such an emergency are effective. SEE HOW A NON-STANDARD PACKAGE IS HANDLED AT ANDRA'S FACILITIES IN THE AUBE DEPARTMENT Follow us on dailymotion.com/andra 38

40 CSM Waste disposal facility in Manche The CSM waste disposal facility was closed in 1994 and entered a monitoring phase in Its environmental impact is under constant surveillance. Monitoring, maintenance of the facilities and preserving a memory of the waste are its main functions. Close monitoring of the cap... The cap is fundamental to the safety of the waste repository during the monitoring period, and for this reason it is studied very closely. In July 2014 an experiment was started: four test specimens fitted with sensors were installed on land adjoining the facility, in the industrial area of Digulleville. Two of the test specimens were made from shale, like the current cap of the waste disposal facility, while the other two were made from a shale and bentonite mixture. The aim is to evaluate the effects of this new composition and to study the seal of the cap. More about the cap As every year, in 2014 two research campaigns were conducted during the spring and summer months to produce an inventory of the plant species on the cap. Three new species joined the 200 varieties already represented in the facility's herbarium: danthonia decumbens, common ash, and sheep's bit scabious. Eight years after common centaury was identified at the CSM waste disposal facility, the protection plan for the flower has just been launched officially by the National Botanical Conservation Centre in Brest. And underneath it! While the cap is fundamentally important, what happens beneath it is equally so. The renovation of part of the underground separative gravity network (see interview opposite) was one of the highlights of Ongoing expertise in tritium Another important factor in terms of safety and the environment was compliance with the limits for releases into the environment, with a reduction in the added tritium concentration in the water table. Andra continued its measurement programme in 2014 to find out more about tritium stratification in the water table. Maintaining a memory of the site As part of Andra's reflection process on the preservation and transmission of information about past activities at the facility, in October 2014 CSM began the process of identifying photos of the facility taken during its operational phase: a former Andra employee is working through an album of 10,000 photos. Test platform for the CSM cap Renovation of the RSGE In 2014 part of the underground separative gravity network (RSGE), a system for collecting water that had been in contact with waste packages, was renovated at CSM. Emmanuelle Faure, business manager at Andra, tells us more about this 10-month project. Where does the water collected by the RSGE come from? Emmanuelle Faure: The RSGE collects the seepage water that passes through the disposal structures. It is just a trickle of water. The RSGE is used to separate potentially contaminated water from water in other networks such as the rainwater system. Why did the RSGE have to be renovated? E. F.: We replaced the oldest part of the network, so 50% of the RSGE, which dated from the time when the Centre was in operation. We took the opportunity to improve the network by switching to a 200 mm diameter (the old 315 mm diameter network was no longer appropriate for the lower volumes now being collected), and we increased the slopes to make the effluent flow more easily and changed the position of the pipes to make network inspection and maintenance easier. How did the project go? E. F.: The project began in November 2013 and the work was completed on 1 October A temporary facility on the site conditioned the 26 tonnes of VLLW produced by the project (rubble, sludge, etc.), which was then sent to Cires. The project in figures Cost: 1,000,000 Duration: 10 months' work 974 m of pipes to be replaced in the 1.9 km network 9 people employed on the project 39

41 A YEAR AT ANDRA SUPPORT AND PROMOTION Andra helps producers of radioactive waste to improve the handling of their radioactive waste prior to disposal. Andra has also continued to fulfil its public service mission with the completion in 2014 of two major cleanup projects. Andra is also promoting its expertise abroad: in 2014 it took part in numerous trade fairs and signed new contracts to support its counterparts in other countries. A range of practical training suited to the needs of operators and their contractors Christophe Chazot, an engineer at CEA, took the training course on Producing very low-level radioactive waste (VLLW) packages compliant with the acceptance specifications. His feedback is positive customer event: Andra Workshop on new VLLW processes Christophe Chazot: I am responsible for engineering at a future sorting, conditioning and characterisation unit for very low-level waste (VLLW). Before the facility can be built, we need to know Andra's specifications, plan the premises, the conditioning, the acceptance documentation, etc. So I am obviously interested in any training offered by Andra. Supporting waste producers in France Andra has expanded its activities upstream of disposal so as to support producers with improving the management of their radioactive waste. It was on this basis that the second Andra Workshops event was held in The purpose of the event is to present to Andra's customers the main issues Andra has to deal with and to discuss these in participative workshops. The 2014 event, on the management of very low-level waste (VLLW), was designed for nuclear energy producers (AREVA, CEA and EDF). Training for waste producers Andra has been offering a range of training courses since The courses cover topics such as industrial and regulatory requirements and the processes involved in managing waste, and also give participants the necessary expertise to produce compliant packages and understand the acceptance criteria for waste to be managed. More than 50 trainees contractors and waste producers in the nuclear power and other nuclear sectors have attended courses (see interview opposite). More than 90% say they are satisfied with the training courses they attended. The course leaders, qualified and experienced Andra employees, were able to explain to us their approach focused on safe disposal, as well as the constraints that Andra has to meet. It made sense of the requirements that Andra places on us as waste producers. In addition, the facility tours gave me a better understanding of Andra's requirements in terms of the technical specifications of the packages.lastly, I appreciated hearing the experiences of the other four participants. 40

42 VLLW disposal cell at Cires Solutions for recycling In September Andra, EDF, CEA and AREVA signed a contract to study the feasibility of using concrete and rubble with very low levels of radioactivity from the dismantling of nuclear facilities as a filler material in the disposal cells of Cires. The results of the study should be available at the end of Integrated solutions from characterisation to disposal In 2014 the French army sought Andra's help with studying how to manage its very low-level waste and its low-level long-lived waste from the replacement of some of its equipment. Based on the studies, the results of which are expected in 2015, Andra could offer the army a comprehensive service covering all the operations to be carried out prior to disposal: characterisation, conditioning and storage. Andra and Iter France have formalised their collaboration on preparing for the management of the radioactive waste that will be produced by the research facility currently under construction near CEA/ Cadarache. The facility aims to demonstrate the scientific and technical feasibility of nuclear fusion as a new source of energy. They need to identify the type and volumes of waste that will be produced during the various operational phases of the future facility (including when it is dismantled) so that preparations can be made to manage each type of waste appropriately. The results of the study are expected in Final appearance of the ITER site 41

43 A YEAR AT ANDRA Signature of a contract with SOGIN (Italy) Promoting French expertise abroad France is one of the most advanced countries in terms of managing radioactive waste. Because of its unique expertise, Andra is regularly called upon throughout the world for its technical expertise and for its consultative approach to the issue of managing radioactive waste. A reliable presence at international events Andra is always an active participant at major international events concerning radioactive waste management (see interview opposite). Andra was responsible for presenting France's expertise in the long-term management of radioactive waste at the UN's World Green Energy Forum held in South Korea in October It was an opportunity for Andra to explain to a high-level audience of regional leaders and people with responsibility for renewable energy from all over the world, how radioactive waste can be managed safely for humans and the environment in the long term. Andra also took part in the World Nuclear and Radiation Exhibition (WNRE) in Seoul, presenting radioactive waste management in France. Its participation was particularly welcomed by Korean leaders and the Korean public, who are currently nearing the end of a public debate on the long-term management of spent fuel. Numerous cooperation agreements Andra has renewed its cooperation agreement with Korad, its South Korean counterpart. The agreement covers the development of the surface disposal facilities planned in South Korea and the management of spent fuels and high-level waste. Following several years of discussions, 2014 saw the signature of an agreement with the Czech Republic, which is hoping to make use of Andra's experience with studying sites for geological waste repositories. The agreement also makes provision for a meeting between Czech elected officials and French officials from Meuse/Haute-Marne to discuss issues concerning the socio-political environment. Andra has signed an agreement with Poland, which has a surface disposal facility that is nearly full and wants to make use of French experience with sealing and capping, particularly at the CSM waste disposal facility. Andra will also assist its Polish counterpart with finding a new surface disposal site. Its partnerships with the Spanish agency (Enresa) and the Japanese radioactive waste management commission have been renewed, and high-level relations have been forged with the Taiwanese and the Russians, who have been to visit France's waste disposal facilities. Signature of the agreement with the Czech Republic 42

44 New commercial contracts In 2014 Andra continued to present its commercial offering, Andra Solutions, covering all of its areas of expertise and enabling it to intervene in its customers' projects at all levels. On this commercial basis, since 2013 Andra has been helping Hungary to produce a development plan for its geological repository project for spent fuel. The Hungarian teams were given training in Andra's methods in 2014, and Andra is now helping them with the process of finding disposal sites. Commercial contracts were also signed in 2014 with South Africa and Italy (see interview below), Slovenia (design of disposal containers), South Korea (help with surface disposal studies), the UK and China. The multiannual contracts with Lithuania, Ukraine, Bulgaria and Japan are ongoing. Lastly, in July Andra delivered a report to Uruguay on the consequences of entry into nuclear in terms of managing radioactive waste. Analysing several types of nuclear power plant reactors as regards the disposal of their radioactive waste, before the country even has any nuclear power production capacity, is an unusual approach. Renewal of the agreement with Korad (South Korea) Trade fairs for information and marketing DANIEL DELORT PATRICE VOIZARD The first World Nuclear Exhibition (WNE) was held in A feather in Andra's cap? Daniel Delort, international project manager, explains: Andra's international division was heavily involved in the preparations for and running of this trade fair, which was held at Le Bourget in October. The WNE was an enormous event with 500 exhibitors and more than 7000 visitors. Pierre-Marie Abadie, Andra's CEO, chaired the round table discussion on dismantling and on management of the resulting waste. He stressed the fact that the two issues had to be seen as one. The trade fair also provided an opportunity to sign two cooperation agreements. One was with our South African counterpart, NRWDI, concerning the setting up of an agency modelled on Andra, and also covering waste management, with spent fuel and low-level waste the priority. The other was with the Italian company Sogin, to help it with its plans for the storage of high-level waste, the disposal of low-level and intermediate-level waste, and a training centre. Finally, the Andra stand was paid a visit by the French Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, for a presentation of Andra's activities, particularly the Cigeo project. The General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is held in Vienna in September each year. All the world's nuclear countries meet there, along with countries wishing to go into nuclear power generation. Patrice Voizard talks about the Scientific Forum, a fringe event of the General Conference. Patrice Voizard, international business manager, explains: This year the Forum was on radioactive waste management. Andra was invited to participate in the opening session alongside the Director General, Yukiya Amano, to present the waste classification system proposed by the IAEA, explain how it is being applied in France, and present the inventory and the management plan for radioactive materials and waste produced in France. France's experience, illustrated by its waste disposal sites and the Meuse/Haute-Marne Centre, meant that attendees could see its practical achievements. Mr Amano stressed the need to consider radioactive waste as soon as it is produced, which is a general principle shared by Andra. On the fringes of the Forum, Andra gave a virtual tour of the Meuse/Haute-Marne Centre to around sixty people. Virtual tour of the Meuse/Haute-Marne Centre at 43

45 A YEAR AT ANDRA Public service mission Andra has been given responsibility by the government for cleaning up sites and soil contaminated with radioactivity where the organisations responsible are not available to do so marked the end of two lengthy decontamination projects, one in Essonne and the other in Marne. Completion of a long remediation process at Gif-sur-Yvette Between 1912 and 1957 the Les Coudraies area of Gif-sur-Yvette (Essonne department) was home to a laboratory used for the study of radium and the development of its early applications, before becoming a residential area. A series of cleanup operations has been carried out on the site since the 1970s. They concluded in 2014 with the demolition of a house built on polluted soil and the cleanup of the two most contaminated plots, the soil from which has now been disposed of at Andra's waste disposal facilities in Aube. Both plots are now being redeveloped into green spaces. Follow the decontamination of the Gif-sur-Yvette site Completion of decontamination work at Pargny-sur-Saulx The site of the former Orflam factory after the decontamination work The decontamination work carried out on the site of the former Orflam cigarette lighter factory in Pargny-sur-Saulx (Marne department) came to an end in December Gérard Ossena, the manager of this decontamination project, reflects on a project that has taken 17 years. Where did the pollution on the site come from? Gérard Ossena: Mainly thorium, a radioactive element present in monazite ore, which was used by Orflam to make the cigarette lighter flints. There were varying concentrations of thorium in the residues from the manufacturing process. How did the project go? Gérard Ossena: It all began in Orflam went bankrupt and the liquidator warned the Prefecture that there were drums on the site marked hazardous products. Andra confirmed that there were radioactive materials in the rusty drums stored in a room inside an industrial building, which was no longer used and was open to anyone. The waste was reconditioned in new drums, which were taken away to Cadarache in mid-1997 for storage there. The drums there were 25 of them are still there. From 1998 to 2000 Andra carried out investigations, which revealed that the site and the buildings were also contaminated. In 2003 the first work was done by Andra to reinforce the banks. In 2008, it was discovered from statements by a former Orflam employee that the municipal pond and a poplar plantation off the site had also been polluted in the 1950s. The work on the pond was done in Some 300 m³ of very low-level waste from the earth excavated around the pond were contained on the site of the plant, and 60 m³ of radium-bearing waste were conditioned and stored at Andra's facilities pending the construction of the future LLW-LL disposal facility. In 2011 the poplar plantation was made safe: 300 poplar trees were cut down and shredded and the chippings were contained under a 40 cm layer of clay. Finally, the old factory buildings were destroyed in 2013 and the rubble was contained under a dome of 20,000 tonnes of clay. Follow us on dailymotion.com/andra The water-driven structures (a mill and a weir) adjoining the site were not contaminated, but they dated from the 1860s and were totally refurbished with the addition of a fish ladder. The remediation of the site and surrounding area cost around 8 million euros excluding VAT. The site will be opened to the public during Its ownership will pass to the local council, which will take over its routine maintenance. A monitoring programme will be introduced for the structures created. The programme will be managed by the local council with financial support from the government. 44

46 A YEAR AT ANDRA LOCAL INVOLVEMENT Andra takes seriously its commitment to the communities where it is located. In 2014 it participated in the economic development of the areas hosting its facilities, gave preference to local procurement, and was involved in the provision of training for young people. Andra has also consulted local communities on its projects and on preserving the memory of its disposal centres, and has welcomed their involvement. Playing a part in local development Andra plays a responsible, sustainable part in the economic and social development of the areas where its facilities are located. Encouraging local procurement Since 2009, in conjunction with Energic ST 52/55 (an association representing businesses in Meuse and Haute-Marne), Andra has organised a discussion day every year with companies in the areas where its facilities are located. The 2014 event was the sixth to be held, and was attended by more than 200 representatives of local businesses, mainly from Meuse, Haute-Marne and Aube. In 2014, the Meuse/Haute-Marne Centre signed four contracts with local associations that employ people with disabilities. There were three contract renewals for the maintenance of work clothes used at the Meuse/Haute-Marne Centre and the mailing of the newsletter Journal de l'andra. A fourth contract was signed for the maintenance of green spaces. Meuse and Haute-Marne join Andra at the World Nuclear Exhibition (WNE) The first WNE was held in October 2014 at Le Bourget (see page 43). Haute Marne Expansion and Meuse Entreprise, organisations supported by the Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CCI), the Departmental Councils and the Public Interest Groupings of Haute-Marne and Meuse, also had a presence at Andra's stand. Jean- Bernard Hergott, Director of the Haute-Marne CCI, and Philippe Charmont, relocation manager at Haute-Marne Expansion, look back on the event. Jean-Bernard Hergott: Our presence at the WNE was justified both by Andra's desire for practical action to help the area around Cigeo and our mission to promote our areas in order to encourage new businesses to locate there. The WNE provided an opportunity to promote the advantages of both departments in the energy markets. Meuse/Haute- Marne is an area with solid expertise in nuclear, from Cigeo obviously but also from other projects (maintenance centre and storage building for spare parts for EDF's nuclear facilities, among other things). There was plenty to interest suppliers and subcontractors, not least because companies placing orders are obliged to do their bit for local development. In other words, businesses that locate in our area increase their chances of working for Andra, AREVA or EDF. Philippe Charmont: Our mission is to encourage new businesses into the area. To do that we work to identify the upcoming markets and bring together all the links in a particular chain in our area. Our aim at the WNE was to identify potential future suppliers for Andra and show them what we can do to make their relocation easier. At the WNE we identified seven potential preliminary projects and re-engaged with several companies. Discussion day with businesses 45

47 A YEAR AT ANDRA Visit to the Euville stone, history of a myth exhibition Supporting local initiatives In 2014, Andra gave 96 local organisations sponsorship for their activities. Most notably, Andra sponsored the competition organised by Initiative Aube, which awards prizes to young entrepreneurs. The Environment and Sustainable Development prize of 2000 euros was awarded in October 2014 to Nadia François for her takeover of the Proxi store in Morvilliers (Aube department). Andra also entered into a 5-year sponsorship with the Cherbourg charity Voiles Ecarlates for the restoration of old sailing boats and for helping with the rehabilitation of people experiencing difficulties in their lives. The charity takes troubled youngsters, people suffering from mental illnesses and elderly people from care homes out on its three sailing boats. From 5 July to 30 October 2014, the Euville stone, history of a myth exhibition brought alive the story of Euville, a village in the Meuse department, and its world-renowned limestone. The exhibition, explaining the local geology and remembering the village's industrial past, was supported by Andra to the tune of 5000 euros. Andra also sponsored the fourth Rencontres Napoléoniennes in Brienne-le-Château. A number of events were planned this year as part of celebrations of the bicentenary of the Battle of Brienne: historical re-enactments, talks, a rock opera, an international conference, a show aimed at young people, etc. Andra also supported the publication of a book of drawings of Napoleonic battle scenes by the artist Nicolas Renard. Andra's involvement in training for young people In January 2014, Andra took part in the second inter-company forum organised by the IUT technology institute in Troyes. Its aim was to raise awareness among students of the world of work and the different types of job at Andra, through meetings and a talk. Andra is a partner of Transapi, a social enterprise that works to prevent disengagement with education by means of alternative teaching methods. In 2014 Andra supported the MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) online learning project used to deliver lessons to young people. Andra employees helped the young people to develop a revision module for the secondary certificate in civic education entitled The path of a law. 46

48 Study of the economic impact of the Aube facilities In late 2014 Andra received the results of a study of the economic effects of its waste disposal facilities in Aube, commissioned from the company Setec. Etienne Crouzat, management controller and accounting manager at Andra, shares the main findings of the study. Etienne Crouzat: Three types of effect were measured: the direct effect of Andra and its service providers; the indirect effect generated by suppliers; and lastly the induced effect, from consumption by the employees of Andra and its subcontractors. The results show that, in the period studied ( ), an average of 512 direct, indirect and induced jobs (full-time equivalent) per year were linked to the activities of the two waste disposal facilities. Of these, 319 were in Champagne- Ardenne and 247 were in Aube. The jobs are mainly in the waste management, construction and administrative services sectors. Taking account of households, those 512 jobs provide a living for more than 1000 people in France, more than 600 of them in Aube. This estimate is obtained using the national average of 2.61 for the number of people per household (the average for Aube is the same). The village of Soulaines-Dhuys The economic effect of the operation of Andra's facilities is estimated at 50.9 million euros in added value per year, of which 40.8 million euros is in Aube. The tax revenues generated are 19.2 million euros on average per year in the three years covered by the study, of which 6.7 million euros were generated in Aube, with the money used to finance local projects. The study gives us a clear idea of where we stand after twenty years in Aube. Concrete works near Andra's facilities in Aube 47

49 A YEAR AT ANDRA Apprios group meeting at CMHM Consulting and involving local communities Andra is committed to encouraging discussion and consultation on its projects and their effects. A participative approach to monitoring water quality Apprios (Pluralistic Approach to finding Health and Environmental Priorities), a local water quality monitoring initiative run by the Perennial Observatory of the Environment (OPE) organisation in Meuse/Haute-Marne, is a first exercise in discussing health and environmental issues with the public. The participants, sixteen local members of the public and eleven experts, in collaboration with Andra, have drawn up a priority list of substances to be monitored, as regards human health and ecosystems, in aquatic environments in the area. The list will be used as a decision-making aid when OPE draws up its next plan for monitoring the chemical quality of water in the area. "Showing a reconstruction is essential so that visitors can imagine being physically inside the building" "If something happens here that has nothing to do with the local area, it's pointless" "We have to ensure this place has a permanent connection with the local area" Participative design of the Cigeo project visitor centre In November 2014 Andra launched a consultation initiative with two objectives: to identify the expectations of stakeholders and decide on the functions of future public spaces at Cigeo once its construction begins (if a construction licence is granted) and during its operation.in practice the consultation involved the organisation of workshops attended by Andra employees, tourism industry professionals, elected members of the CLIS and representatives of France's education service. The recommendations made by the groups include: gradually making the project and the centre more of a concrete reality, enabling people to understand the project in its full scale, complexity and coherence, designing different types of visit for different types of visitor, using the unique character of the facility to promote the region, incorporating Cigeo into the existing offer (tourism, economic development, culture) to boost it. 48

50 Cultivating the memory of plants On the trail of plants at CSM Andra has signed a sponsorship agreement with the Cherbourg Science Society to support its herbarium restoration and conservation project. Rémy Ancellin, President of the Science Society, tells us about a project that forms part of Andra's reflection process on the preservation and transmission of memory. Rémy Ancellin: The Cherbourg Science Society inherited the herbarium of Louis Corbière, containing nearly 60,000 plant specimens collected in the 19th century. It's a herbarium of enormous scientific value because some plants are described in it for the very first time, but it has suffered the ravages of time and war. So we have set about restoring it, which is a major undertaking because we have to take out each plant, put it in acid-free paper, label it in the standardised way, and so on. In 2009 Andra paid for the purchase of the acid-free paper necessary for the restoration project. In 2014 Andra granted us further support worth 27,000 euros over 5 years, which will enable us to pay professionals to help us. We will also be able to digitalise the herbarium, making it accessible to everyone. In exchange for this sponsorship, we are going to produce three herbariums of plants growing on the CSM cap. One will be kept on the site, another on the Science Society's premises and the third at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris. Follow us on dailymotion.com/andra The memory of war As part of the 70 th anniversary of the D-Day landings, in partnership with the Cherbourg Peninsula Archaeological Research Group and local councils in the La Hague area, the CSM waste disposal facility put on an exhibition entitled The vestiges of the Second World War at La Hague. Gérard Vilgrain, President of the Cherbourg Peninsula Archaeological Research Group looks back at an exhibition that echoes the work done by Andra on the preservation and transmission of the memory of its waste disposal facilities. Why look at such a recent event from an archaeological point of view? Gérard Vilgrain: There are many vestiges of the Second World War in the northern part of the Cherbourg peninsula. They tell us about the history of that period, sometimes enabling us to rectify certain points but, above all, enabling us to immerse ourselves in the everyday life of that time. That was what we wanted to offer visitors through the 16 panels on, for example, the German defence systems, the remains of the Atlantic wall, and the American camp at Urville-Nacqueville. We also brought together various objects dating from that time: newspapers and magazines, letters from prisoners of war, a German jerrycan, an American camp bed, etc. These vestiges, presented as they are, unrestored, are the traces left on the Normandy countryside by five years of conflict. Some of the items were not being used for their original purpose, such as this roller from an anti-tank barrier which was turned into a lawn roller, or this English biscuit tin used as a grain tin for chickens! They are all indirect ways of keeping a memory alive... 49

51 A YEAR AT ANDRA INFORMATION AND DIALOGUE Managing radioactive waste concerns the whole of society. That is why Andra puts a lot of effort into keeping the public informed about its activities and projects, communicates with elected officials and stakeholders in the areas where its facilities are located, and shares its scientific and technological culture. Its website, videos, exhibitions, tours, talks and meetings were just some of the methods used for this communication in Radioactivity: from Homer to Oppenheimer - Discovery Centre Providing information about Andra's activities The exhibition Radioactivity: from Homer to Oppenheimer, put together by Andra, focuses on four aspects of radioactivity: How does it work? How was it discovered? How is it used? What are the risks? Many hands-on experiences and experiments enable visitors aged 10 years and over to gain a better understanding of radioactivity. The exhibition was on show at the Discovery Centre (Palais de la Découverte) in Paris from December 2013 to June 2014, then at the EDF Electropolis museum in Mulhouse from October International conference on memory at Verdun The Constructing Memory conference organised by the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) with Andra's support, was held in Verdun in September It brought together 200 people from 17 countries to reflect on the following question: what information should be passed on to future generations about radioactive waste? During the three-day conference, participants had the opportunity to hear what specialists had to say and to take part in debates and round table discussions on memory in the short, medium and long term (beyond 1000 years). They were able to explore the subject by looking at other disciplines: art, archaeology, history, archiving, linguistics and semiotics. The conference was preceded by a French-speaking conference organised by Andra, where it presented its memory programme. An art exhibition linked to the theme of the conference, in conjunction with three artists Cécile Massart, Gérard Larguier and Robert Williams and the Unesco Louis François Centre in Troyes, was also on show. 50

52 Tour of CMHM by hospital pharmacy assistants In October, the French association of hospital pharmacy assistants (ANPPH) held its annual regional meeting at the Meuse/Haute-Marne Centre (CMHM), followed by a training day and tour. Jean-Claude Brossard, President of the Lorraine branch of the ANPPH, recounts the highlights of the day. What do have hospital pharmacy assistants have to do with radioactivity? Jean-Claude Brossard: Radiopharmacy is part of the initial training of hospital pharmacy assistants. Some pharmacy assistants may subsequently have to handle radioactive products as part of their job. We therefore decided it would be worth complementing our initial training with a visit to Andra's facilities so we can understand better how radioactive waste is managed. It was also interesting for us from a personal point of view, as concerned citizens. How did the day go? J-C. B.: Following our annual regional meeting, we were given a talk on radioactivity, then a presentation about the Cigeo project. In the afternoon, the group (there were about 60 of us) was given a tour of the Technological Exhibition Facility where prototype disposal containers and handling equipment are on show. We also visited the model drift, which is a life-size reconstruction of the drifts in the Meuse/ Haute-Marne Centre, where we saw the main scientific and technical experiments being run at a depth of 500 m. We found this first experience of Andra's facilities really interesting. We are thinking about whether we could incorporate the presentations we were given during the day into the training of pharmacy assistants of the future. Since then, Andra has already had its first involvement with the Hospital Pharmacy Assistants' Training Centre in Metz. Meetings with health professionals In September 2014 Andra welcomed around twenty vets from the Meuse and Haute-Marne region at a conference on the subject of radioactivity and its effects, led by an expert from the veterinary radiation protection commission. In October 2014 CMHM hosted a conference of hospital pharmacy assistants (see interview above). This health professionals information initiative, for both prescribers and users of radioactivity in medical imaging and nuclear medicine, began in 2013 with local general practitioners. Dialogue with local elected officials and stakeholders Andra regularly convenes meetings with local elected officials to present and explain progress with its projects. Around a dozen information letters were sent out to them during 2014, providing the latest news about Andra's activity in their areas. Local elected officials also met for two days in November 2014 to discuss and share their experiences of representing districts where Andra facilities are located. Many foreign delegations have also been keen to include meetings with local elected officials, or representatives of organisations or the agricultural sector, in a tour of the facilities. Andra regularly meets with members of committees responsible for monitoring its centres (CSS, CLI or CLIS) at AGMs, training days or tours of Andra's facilities. These committees, whose membership consists in particular of local council representatives, representatives of environmental organisations, trade unions, and businesses, and advisory members, are responsible for monitoring the activities of Andra's facilities and for keeping local communities informed about what is happening there. In 2014, members of the local committees visited the full-scale seal test site created by Andra in a warehouse in Saint-Dizier, took part in a conference on memory held in Verdun, and attended training days on the Cigeo project. Art exhibition put together by Andra and Unesco for the Verdun conference 51

53 Sharing its scientific and technological culture According to its missions described in the Act of 28 June 2006, Andra must "make information available to the public about radioactive waste management and play a part in sharing its scientific and technological culture in this field". Discovering forests The Discovering Forests exhibition (Découvertes en forêt) was officially opened in March 2014 at the Meuse/ Haute-Marne Centre. The exhibition was put together by Andra and was designed to give the public a better understanding of the scientific, environmental and economic challenges of the region's areas of forest. The answers to questions put to visitors to the exhibition were explained on exhibition panels, in interactive videos, and through models designed in collaboration with the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), the French National Forestry Office (ONF) and the Euville Stone Association, an organisation specialising in making environment-related science accessible to the general public. The idea behind the exhibition came from the setting up of a forest environment study and observation station by OPE. Celebration of nature with primary school pupils Wild grasses were the focus of attention in May at Andra's facilities in Aube, during the Festival of Nature. More than 200 schoolchildren aged from 7 to 12 were taught how to collect and preserve grasses, and the event was rounded off with a talk by the ethnobotanist Lionel Hignard. In October, Andra's waste disposal facilities in the Aube department took part in the Festival of Science, welcoming nearly 150 people to a talk on the use of clay in everyday products and a puppet show with aluminium puppets made live on stage. 575 visitors to the Meuse/Haute-Marne Centre came to take part in events organised for the Festival of Science. READY FOR A VIRTUAL TOUR OF THE MEUSE/HAUTE-MARNE CENTRE? Visit Andra's website Festival of Science - CMHM 52

54 Inside volcanoes with Haroun Tazieff 250 people attended the talk on A volcano named Haroun Tazieff organised in June 2014 by Andra's waste disposal facilities at the Aube conference centre in Troyes. Here we interview Frédéric Lavachery, son of the volcanologist and author of a biography about this exceptional man: A volcano named Haroun Tazieff (publisher: L'Archipel). Why write a biography? Frédéric Lavachery: The forty years Tazieff spent on expeditions throughout the world had never been compiled into a coherent scientific and cultural asset. There was a risk that everything might be lost forever. His expeditions helped to advance contemporary volcanology by demonstrating that it was possible to take gas and lava samples from active volcanoes inside the wall of fire. Erupting volcano How did Haroun Tazieff manage to get through the wall of fire? F. L.: Haroun Tazieff was a renowned scientist. He was also very brave, an excellent climber and a champion boxer! He had the courage to approach an active volcano, the physical ability to do so, and a boxer's ability to observe and predict. He was also fascinated by volcanoes. His approach to them was both aesthetic and borne out of a deep curiosity about the forces of nature. He was a man of conviction whose legacy should be passed on, and that is the job I am doing. Talk on agriculture in wetland areas Around fifty people attended the talk on Wetlands and Agriculture in the Aube department organised at Andra's waste disposal facilities in Aube as part of World Wetlands Day. Emmanuel Le Roy, Biodiversity manager for the Aube Chamber of Agriculture, led the event, where he presented various national initiatives that were being applied in the local area, such as agro-environmental measures. Science, Research & Society Forum At the end of May, Andra took part in a round table discussion on the topic of Scientific Controversies: can we trust researchers? as part of the 6 th Science, Research & Society Forum organised by the newspaper Le Monde and the magazine La Recherche. Aube Festival of Science and Technology In June, Andra's waste disposal facilities in Aube took part in the 2 nd Aube Festival of Science and Technology with a class of year olds from Julien-Régnier secondary school in Brienne-le-Château. The Festival focused on work done by the children to explain interactively the technologies used in a business based on the formula: "One principle, one business, one process". Talk on clay at Brienne-le-Château At the end of March, Andra organised a talk on clay, the properties of which are used by Andra's waste disposal facilities. Chantal Rouquet, head conservator and director of Troyes Art Gallery and Museum, came to talk about the history of clay usage in the region, e.g. for glazed terracotta during the Middle Ages and faïence tiles from the Renaissance. 53

55 Meeting Andra = 10 VISITORS 700 visitors to Open Days in Meuse Haute-Marne and Aube 600 people met at the CLI(S) committees 60 events (exhibitions, fairs, ceremonies, etc.) for meeting Andra 100,000 th visitor to the Meuse/ Haute-Marne Centre in April 3 drift open days for visiting the underground research laboratory at CMHM 15,000 VISITORS to all the Andra Centres in 2014 in Aube, Manche and Meuse/Haute-Marne 54

56 FRENCH NATIONAL RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT AGENCY 1-7, rue Jean-Monnet Châtenay-Malabry cedex Tel.: +33 (0) Free publication, not for sale.