Cigéo, the project for the burial of French radioactive waste, is garnering attention. A public inquiry was conducted between September and October 2021. The report from this inquiry is expected by December 2021, a report that will determine whether the Cigéo project is considered a public utility or not.
The Cigéo Project Led by Andra
Cigéo is a project led by Andra (the national agency for the management of radioactive waste) with the objective to bury French radioactive waste deep underground.
In 2006, the Cigéo project was the solution chosen by law to manage the most dangerous waste in the long term.
In total, no less than 84,000 m³ of waste from the nuclear industry will eventually be buried. This waste will be compacted into 225,000 packages and then stored in galleries 10 meters in diameter at nearly 500 meters depth.
Located in Bure in the Meuse region, Cigéo already extends over a surface area of 700 hectares and includes, on the surface, a shaft area and a ramp area (area for receiving, controlling, and preparing packages). Below ground is an underground laboratory, a double ramp, a storage area for intermediate-level long-lived waste, and a storage area for high-level waste.
This 25-billion-euro project has been in development since the 1990s, but Andra only obtained construction authorization at the end of 2016. The first galleries are expected to receive intermediate-level waste packages by 2035. By 2080, the galleries will receive high-level waste.
The project progresses step by step because the storage system must be robotized to allow for its reversibility (the possibility to retrieve packages during the operational period). Numerous laboratory studies on tunnel deformation, container erosion, etc., are also being scrutinized by a scientific team.
Cigéo also houses experiments regarding underground storage sealing solutions. Ultimately, this will cover an area of 15 km². The site is expected to close after 120 years of operation, around the year 2150.
The Public Inquiry on This Project Concludes
A public inquiry into the Cigéo project, a preliminary step before a potential declaration of public utility, was conducted from September 15 to October 23, 2021.
The commission responsible for the inquiry, an independent commission, gathered opinions from both supporters and opponents of the Cigéo project over five weeks. Few contributions were made physically. However, online, 3,000 contributions were recorded.
Opinions on the project are divided. Some contributors are strongly in favor, seeing Cigéo as a logical and necessary project. These contributors rely on previously conducted studies that seriously demonstrate the feasibility and safety of the project. Others believe Cigéo is not a solution and prefer surface storage.
Opponents to the project argue that there are still too many unknowns to undertake such a project (potential seismic risk, impact on the living environment for future generations to be defined, etc.).
The report from this public inquiry is expected to be delivered in December 2021, allowing for the determination of whether the project is recognized as a public utility or not. If it is, Andra will receive the 120 hectares of land still needed to successfully carry out the Cigéo project.
To find all the public inquiries published in France and make your voice heard, you can consult the Notre Territoire portal, the specialist in local public inquiries.
