National assessment board for research and the studies into the management of radioactive waste and materials Instituted by the law no. 2006-739 of June 28, 2006. Assessment report no. 4 - June 2010

During the year 2009-2010, the Board assessed the progress of research and development in the geological disposal of long-lived, high and medium level waste, and the partitioning and transmutation of actinides in spent fuel from nuclear reactors. Research into geological disposal is entering a decisive phase: Andra has proposed a zone of interest for further surveying (ZIRA), with a view to establishing a reversible geological disposal facility, and the French Minister of Ecology, Energy, and Sustainable Development has validated this choice. Provided that this survey leads to positive results, and following a public debate to be held in 2013, a request for authorisation to construct the disposal facility will be submitted by Andra at the end of 2014 for examination in 2015. Parliament will then take a decision on the reversibility conditions. Only three years remain to conduct the necessary research and illuminate the public debate. Partitioning and transmutation studies are currently being performed in conjunction with research into the design of the Astrid prototype for the 4. generation fast nuclear reactor. The complete demonstration of the feasibility of the partitioning-transmutation strategy involves a demonstration of the multi-recycling of plutonium and minor actinides with the aid of Astrid. This means that the plutonium and minor actinides in the spent fuel from this reactor may be separated and recycled. Research and development is conducted by legal professionals, their partners and the academic community, forming part of an international framework and, working together, offering expertise of the highest quality.