Low-level nuclear waste, an attractive market. The closing in the coming decades of a growing number of power plants will generate a market in strong growth, estimated at 200 billion euros by 2050. With their repulsive acronyms, the TFA-FA (waste of very low activity-low activity, in the jargon of the atomic industry) are less scary than some facilities that ignite the public debate on nuclear power. Thus, the Morvilliers (Aube) storage site does not arouse the virulent opposition encountered by the Cigeo project for the burying of high-level long-lived radioactive waste planned at Bure (Meuse), which has become the new fixation abscess for European environmental movements. This waste is however there, and in increasing quantity. What to do with these famous TFA-FA in the jargon of the atomic industry? Where will this mass of steel, reinforced concrete and rubble end up – if at all – radioactive but out of an area of nuclear activity?
Le Monde 21st Feb 2019 read more »
The movement of “yellow vests” thus forced the government to postpone the consultation on the National Plan for the Management of Materials and Radioactive Waste to be held, starting in January, under the leadership of the National Commission for Debate. public. The landfill site of Bure (Meuse) will of course be at the heart of the discussions. But another question will be asked: faced with the increase in the volume of waste and scrap with very low activity (less than 100,000 becquerels per kilo) generated by the shutdown of nuclear facilities, which will saturate the Morvilliers site (Aube ) in ten years, experts of the atom plead for the valorization of a part of them. France is, in fact, the only country where all materials (earth, rubble, scrap metal …) leaving a nuclear site are presumed to contain residual contamination. This excludes them from recycling, even if their radioactivity is non-existent or inferior to that found in nature.
Le Monde 21st Feb 2019 read more »
