France’s Cigéo repository receives satisfactory safety review

France's Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Authority (ASNR) completed its technical review and issued a satisfactory opinion on Andra's license application to construct the Cigéo deep geological disposal facility. Andra is the French national agency responsible for the safe management of all radioactive waste in the country.

ASNR stated that it "considers that Andra has acquired a sufficient base of knowledge on the baseline data selected for the relative safety assessment and that the safety demonstration for the operational and post-closing phases, established on this knowledge base, is satisfactory, at the stage of an application for authorization to establish. This demonstration should be completed with a view to commissioning, limited to the pilot industrial phase."

Located on the border between the Meuse and Haute-Marne regions, Cigéo-which stands for the Industrial Center for Geological Disposal-is designed to dispose of approximately 10,000 cubic meters of high-level radioactive waste and 73,000 m³ of long-lived intermediate-level waste at a depth of 500 meters in 160-million-year-old claystone. Full-scale disposal operations are expected to begin around 2040-2050 and would last about 100 years.

The application process: Andra submitted its construction application for the repository to the French government in January 2023. France's nuclear safety authority, Autorité de sûreté nucléaire (ASN), was tasked with completing the technical appraisal of the project's safety case, validating its ability to protect people and the environment over the very long term from the hazards posed by radioactive waste.

ASNR was formed in January 2025 after ASN was merged with the Institut de radioprotection et de sûreté nucléaire (IRSN).

ASNR conducted the technical review of the application according to three themes:

• The basic data used for Cigéo's safety assessment, which were the subject of a first publication in June 2024 by ASN. It confirmed that Andra's conclusions on the geological environment, waste packages, and materials were sufficient to evaluate Cigéo's safety.
• The safety assessment for the operating phase, which was the subject of an information notice published by ASNR in January 2025.
• The safety assessment for the post-closure phase, which was the subject of an information notice published in July 2025.

ASNR also concluded that Andra's Cigéo license application may result in a public inquiry, scheduled for the second half of 2026.

Quote: "We are taking a crucial step forward in the development of the Cigéo project, and we can say today that it has been reached successfully," said Lydie Evrard, CEO of Andra, in announcing the ASNR opinion on December 4. "For 30 years, the Cigéo project has been developed in line with the highest safety standards and, more broadly, with best practices in design, public engagement, and dialogue with local communities. I would like to thank Andra's teams for the work accomplished and for their constant commitment. I would also like to commend the quality of the technical dialogue with the ASNR, as well as the quality of our relations with elected officials and representatives in the Meuse and Haute-Marne region, and more broadly with all stakeholders.