Radioactive waste is stored in several surface facilities.
There are two near-surface disposal facilities for short-lived low- and intermediate-level waste (L/ILW). Short-lived L/ILW was disposed of at Centre de la Manche between 1962 and 1994 and the Centre de l'Aube facility has been in operation since 1992. A repository for very low-level waste has been in operation in Morvilliers since 2003 and a repository for long-lived L/ILW is currently in the planning stage.
High-level waste will be disposed of in a deep geological repository. The aim is to submit a construction licence application by 2015 and to have the repository operational from 2025. Andra (Agence nationale pour la gestion des déchets radioactifs) operates a rock laboratory in a clay formation at Bure. The potential repository site, which is currently under investigation, is in the same area, several kilometres distant from the rock laboratory location.
Further information:
www.andra.fr (National Radioactive Waste Management Agency)
www.asn.fr (Nuclear Safety Authority)