Less controversial than highly radioactive waste, very low level (VLL) waste is no less problematic. Although they represent only 0.0001% of the total radioactivity of French nuclear waste, they still constitute 31% of their total volume. Two decrees published in mid-February in Official newspaper tackled the problem: no more storage centers, some VLL waste can now be recycled.
Composed of very slightly contaminated metals, earth and rubble, they mainly come from the maintenance and dismantling operations of nuclear facilities. However, only metals are affected by the decrees. Once decontaminated, they can be recycled in the form of ingots and reused if they pass the controls.
The return of an old debate
France is thus making up for a delay of some twenty years. In 1996, France was the only country not to translate into national law the European Euratom directive paving the way for the recovery of low-level nuclear waste. A series of incidents in the 1990s, where some of them had landed in the circuit of conventional industry, had strongly mobilized environmental associations.
→ READ. Algeria: France asked to act on waste from its nuclear tests
This is what motivated the Jospin government to create the principle of zoning in 1996: all waste from areas at risk of contamination was treated as radioactive, in principle, and stored for around thirty years. Faced with the increase in the number of VLL waste, the current government has reversed this policy.
Short-term saturation of storage capacities
Especially since we have to deal with the aging of the French nuclear fleet. «Taking into account the dismantling operations to come, the 2018 national inventory forecast 2.2 million cubic meters of VLL waste by the end of the facilities’ life: even with its improved storage capacity, the Industrial Regrouping Center , warehousing and storagewouldn’t be enough»explains Virginie Wasselin, strategy manager at the National Agency for Radioactive Waste Management.
→ REPORT. Bure of nuclear waste: in Bure, a worried silent majority
Located in Morvilliers in Aube, the Cires would reach saturation by 2025 or even 2030 in the most optimistic scenario. At the end of 2019, more than 60% of its 650,000 cubic meterswere already filled. Andra estimates that a metal deposit of 500,000 tonnes still present on the nuclear sites could be recovered and thus alleviate the pressure on the storage centers.
The desire of industrialists
Volumes that manufacturers would like to seize. In 2019, EDF declared itself in favor of recovery, considering that there is “better to do than to store (definitively) a large quantity of recoverable metal which does not present a health risk”. The energy giant then paved the way for the use of these recycled materials “in the conventional industry and in the nuclear industry” like what is already being done in Sweden and Germany, without however commenting on their concrete use.
→ DEBATE. Nuclear: is France still capable of building new reactors?
What worries the antinuclear. “The decontamination process is not effective for all radionuclides. The texts are ambiguous since it is considered that on leaving these ingots are no longer radioactive and therefore do not require any control or information from consumers! Soon we will be able to have strollers, cars from these materials,” is alarmed Roland Desbordes, spokesperson for the Criirad (Commission for independent research and information on radioactivity). The Nuclear Safety Agency, for its part, is favorable and already encouraged in 2020 the evolution of the regulations in favor of the recovery.