ANDRA reassesses the cost of the CIGEO project

The French National Agency for Radioactive Waste Management (Andra) estimates the cost of the Bure radioactive waste burial centre project in the Meuse département to be between €26.1 billion and €37.5 billion in 2012, or between €33 billion and €45 billion in 2023. The project is the responsibility of the nuclear operators, EDF, Orano and CEA. The construction phase of the first unit represents between 25% and 30% of the total cost, with the remainder to be paid over the 120 years of the repository's operation. The surface area of the repository is 650 hectares, with 250 kilometres of underground galleries in clay soil.