Areva - Reference Document 2016

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SOCIAL, ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIETAL RESPONSIBILITY

2. Environmental information

AREVA establishes radioactive wastemanagement methods in compliance with the principles of the French Environmental Code and Euratom directive no. 2011/70/ Euratom of July 19, 2011:

and to determine the objectives to be achieved. AREVA is represented through its Dismantling and Waste Contracting Department, which steers and coordinates cross-business programs and studies related to the development, implementation and follow-up of the plan. Dissemination and communication of information Information on the flows and volumes of waste stored at AREVA’s nuclear facilities (especially volumes) is communicated to the competent authorities in the form of annual reports. In addition, AREVA is a major participant in updates to the National Inventory published every three years by Andra. The 2015 edition shows radioactive waste in France as of December 31, 2013 at sites operated by AREVA, among others, along with forecasts on waste quantities expected by 2020, 2030 and the end of the facilities’ lifecycle. The inventory also presents storage capacities, in particular for long-lived medium- and high-level waste, along with their fill status. This information is available on the Andra website, http://andra.fr. The inventories (volumes, activity levels, principal radioelements) at the end of 2013, 2014 and 2015 are now available as open data at the website http://inventaire.andra.fr. Control of releases and environmental monitoring AREVA devotes considerable resources to limiting and monitoring releases and to environmental monitoring, upstream from monitoring performed by the French authorities. The resources deployed take into account regulatory reporting requirements, including in particular declarations for the European Pollutant Emission Register (EPER), reduction of greenhouse gas emissions under the National Quota Allocation Plan, and renewal of release permits for the nuclear facilities. The amended “INB Order” of February 7, 2012 and ASN’s “Environmental Decision” no. 2013-DC-360 lay down general rules related to reporting releases from regulated nuclear facilities and for environmental monitoring. Regarding radioactive releases, AREVA is strongly committed to the standardization program for measurements of effluent radioactivity established in 2007 by the M60-3 Committee of the Bureau de normalisation des équipements nucléaires (BNEN, the French nuclear equipment standards organization) and has designated a representative from each major nuclear site to participate in this effort. Concerning the monitoring of environmental radioactivity, it has been possible since February 2010 for any member of the public to go to the website managed by IRSN (www.mesure-radioactivite.fr) to see all of the environmental radioactivity measurements carried out by the operators in the vicinity of their sites as part of the prescribed environmental monitoring. Each site has acquired the tools needed to manage and submit the data. The group’s six laboratories – AREVA NC la Hague, AREVANCPierrelatte, Eurodif Production, NPRomans, SEPABessines and AREVA NC Malvési – were issued licenses by the French nuclear safety authority ASN for the analyses that they must carry out. These licenses are periodically renewed as laboratory comparison tests organized by IRSN are carried out, based on a table of analyses defined by the national environmental radioactivity measurement network RNM in the order of June 3, 2015 implementing ASN’s decision no. 2015-DC- 0500 of February 26, 2015, which itself modifies ASN’s decision no. 2008-DC-0099 of April 28, 2008 on the organization of the national environmental radioactivity measurement network and sets the terms for laboratory licensing. 2.3.5. RELEASES

p protect public health, safety and the environment;

p prevent and limit the burden to be borne by future generations;

p reduce the quantity and toxicity of radioactive waste, in particular by using appropriate processing and packaging methods; p organize waste shipments and limit them in distance and volume; p provide information to the public on the effects on the environment and public health of waste production andmanagement operations, subject to confidentiality rules provided in the law, and on the measures taken to prevent or offset harmful effects. Each waste management method is thus defined as part of a graduated approach to the risks and impacts as regards the costs (human, financial, environmental, etc.) and the benefits expected from the use of a management solution. For implementation of waste management methods, AREVA draws on: p the operating entities of the different production sites likely to generate radioactive waste; p the Dismantling andWaste Contracting Department, which is taskedwith steering the Group’s overall performance plan and defining strategies to be deployed by the operating entities. The principles guiding the use of management methods at AREVA’s different sites, in compliance with safety, cost, schedule and quality objectives and commitments, are: p waste reduction at the source, with the goal of “zero waste” in design and operations; waste likely to be radioactive is separated from conventional waste based in particular on a policy of “zoning” the facilities, which is continually optimized to minimize radioactive waste quantities; p radiological characterization and assessment of activity to define optimum packaging; p volume reduction using cuttings, assembling and compaction processes; p with packaging, waste is immobilized in a container suited to its radioactivity level and half-life, in some cases using material to hold it in place (such as cement) or after processing. When processing is necessary, the goal is to convert the initial waste into a waste form with characteristics more appropriate for final disposal, in particular by maximizing containment performance. Drying, incineration, vitrification and melting are examples of processing. Furthermore, processing reduces waste volumes. A quality program including quality control is carried out throughout processing operations. Best available technologies (BAT) are used for processing and are chosen based on multicriteria analyses that factor in the industrial, environmental, health and radiological impacts. The sustainable radioactive waste management solutions used by AREVA follow the guidelines of the National Radioactive Waste and Materials Management Plan (PNGMDR). AREVA is heavily involved in developing the PNGMDR resulting from the implementation of the program law of June 28, 2006 on the sustainable management of radioactive materials and waste. The principal purpose of this triennial plan developed under the aegis of the Ministry of the Environment, Energy and the Sea, together with the nuclear safety authority ASN, is to regularly assess the radioactive substances management policy in France, to evaluate new requirements

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2016 AREVA REFERENCE DOCUMENT