Andra - R and D activity report 2015

The National Radioactive Waste Management Agency (Andra), created in 1979 within the CEA, was established by the December 1991 Waste Act as a public body in charge of the long-term management of all radioactive waste, under the supervision of the Ministry of Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development and the Sea (formerly the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Environment), and the Ministry of Research. Its 3 basic missions were extended and their funding secured through the 2006 Planning Act: - a R and D mission to propose safe long-term solution for radioactive waste without current disposal system; this mission includes long-term storage, since the 2006 Planning Act, in order to propose interim solutions while final ones are being studied, - an industrial mission concerning, on one hand, waste acceptance criteria and control and, on the other hand, siting, construction, operation, closure and monitoring of repositories, - an information mission, notably through the regular publication of the National Inventory of radioactive materials and waste. This document is the 2015 annual activity report of the Andra for the R and D mission. It presents: the 2015 R and D highlights, the R and D at the service of Andra's projects and activities (towards Cigeo's industrial development, main R and D results for a key step of the low level-long living wastes project, R and D at the service of surface facilities operation), the Andra partnership with the scientific community (mobilization, PhDs, projects investment, conference and workshops participation), and the restructuring of the scientific governance of the Andra. The patents issued by the Andra and the defended PhD Theses are listed in the appendix