The 1991 law - current situation in France

A wide variety of high-level and long-lived radionuclides with lifetimes extending over hundreds or thousands of years are formed in the fuel of nuclear power reactors. In order to compile substantiated scientific knowledge and to provide a decisional basis for dealing with these radionuclides, the French law enacted on December 31, 1991, stipulated a fifteen-year R and D program on high-level and long-lived radioactive waste management, covering three major areas of research: (1) Investigate separation and transmutation options for the long-lived radionuclides contained in high-level waste. (2) Examine possibilities for reversible or irreversible disposal in deep geological formations, notably through the construction of underground laboratories. (3) Investigate high-level waste conditioning and long-term interim storage processes. This approach is intended to provide a wide range of scientific and technical solutions that may be combined into open and flexible strategies for the back end of the fuel cycle. The R and D work is to be progressively consolidated through successive steps during which its scientific, technical and industrial feasibility will be assessed. The French government ministries responsible for the program designated the ANDRA for the leading role in Area 2, and the CEA for Areas 1 and 3. (J.P.N.)