Documents relating to the Centre de la Manche Disposal Facility

The Manche disposal facility is the first repository to be built in France for low-level and intermediate-level radioactive waste. It was created by a decree issued on 19 June 1969 and authorising the French Atomic Energy Commission (Commissariat à l'énergie atomique – CEA) to modify its facilities at the La Hague Plant (Manche Department) by adding a disposal facility for solid radioactive waste.

The new disposal facility called Centre de stockage de la Manche (CSM) constitutes Basic Nuclear Facility No. 66.

With a total surface of approximately 15 ha adjacent to the COGEMA–La Hague Plant, the facility reached its full disposal capacity of 527,214 m3 of waste packages. Its operation was entrusted upon Andra by decree on 24 March 1995.

Its shutdown after 25 years of operation, followed by the installation of a cover, marked its transition into the monitoring phase pursuant to:

• Decree No. 2003-30 of 10 January 2003 concerning the measures for the monitoring of the basic nuclear facility and its environment;
• An Order of 10 January 2003 concerning the management of the gaseous and liquid releases of the facility.

The next major regulatory step for the monitoring of the facility will be for Andra to submit a report on the long-term safety of the repository in 2009.

See documents (in French only):

Decree No. 2003-30 of 10 January 2003

Order of 10 January 2003 authorising Andra to continue releasing gas and liquid effluents resulting from the operation of the Centre de la Manche Disposal Facility