CEA, the French Atomic Energy Commission

The French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) was created by Ministerial Order 45-2563 of October 18 1945 to carry out R&D for the implementation of civilian nuclear activities (energy, industry, research and health) and to provide the necessary support to the development of National Defence activities (Nuclear deterrent forces).

Following the December 1991 Waste Act, CEA was entrusted with the R&D concerning 2 venues concerning high-level and long-lived intermediate-level radioactive waste management:

• Partitioning and transmutation,
• long-term storage and waste conditioning (which has been tasked in 2006 to Andra).

Since the 2006 Planning Act, CEA still carries out R&D either as an actor of this 2006 Planning Act on the feasibility of partitioning and transmutation or as support to Andra programme for some specific topics (on the basis of bilateral agreements).

Studies are conducted with those concerning the new generations of nuclear reactors in order to provide by 2012 an assessment of the industrial prospects of these system.