[en] This report from the French National Assembly/Senate analyzes the conditions in which it will be possible to store non-immediately reprocessed spent fuels during long time ranges (up to 300 years), in conditions of maximum safety and with economically acceptable costs: 1- the management of spent fuels in excess and that cannot be reprocessed immediately, 2 - the necessity of long-term storage of spent fuels (MOX fuels for which the reprocessing is not envisaged today, uncertainties about the feasibility of transmutation, underground disposal of part of the irradiated fuels), 3 - technical characteristics of long-term storage facilities; 4 - storage concepts to be retained (pools in reprocessing plants, dry storage, reversible underground storage, sub-surface storage, projects and existing facilities (Yucca Mountain (US), CASCAD (Fr), ZWILAG (Ch), Gorleben and Ahaus (Ge)), 5 - preliminary studies (sites selection and feasibility studies, management, organization, financing); 6 - problem of the management of spent fuels from foreign countries; conclusions, recommendations and appendixes. (J.S.)

[en] This report makes a comprehensive presentation of the French atmospheric and underground nuclear tests performed in Sahara and Polynesia between 1960 and 1996 with their possible impact on the health of populations and personnel and on the environment. A comparison is made with similar tests performed by other nuclear Powers: US (Marshall islands, Nevada), former Soviet union (Semipalatinsk, Novaya Zemlya), UK (several atmospheric test-sites), China, India, Pakistan. (J.S.)

[en] The abatement of CO₂ emissions is a huge technical and economical challenge. Fossil fuels, which represent 88% of the world primary energy consumption, are the main source of the 25 billions of CO₂ released each year in the atmosphere. The mastery of CO₂ emissions cannot come from a single technology but must result from the simultaneous implementation of several means, like the development of carbon-free energies and the mastery of fossil fuel emissions. The opportunities of progress are numerous and compatible with the economic development. This document presents, first, the different greenhouse gases, the CO₂ emissions per country and the main sources of CO₂ emissions (power and heat generation, transports). Then it presents different ways of abatement of CO₂ emissions: clean coal technologies, gas combined cycles, CO₂ sequestration, reduction of fuel consumption in transports, development of carbon-free energies: wind power, solar photovoltaic for decentralized power generation, nuclear energy for a competitive power generation and for CO₂ abatement, biofuels of 2. generation and fuel cells. The conclusion stresses on the investments needed for the renewal and increase of energy capacities, and on the necessary visibility and moderation of emission abatement mechanisms (carbon trading and CO₂ prices). (J.S.)

[en] This eighth report of the Parliamentary Office concerns a particularly period, beginning of 2005, which marks the end of the 15 years devoted to the research on radioactive wastes storage (law of 30 december 1991). The authors present a synthesis of the researches progress and a political analysis of the following actions to the 30 december 1991 law, in two main chapters: separation and transmutation of radioactive wastes for 2040, feasibility in France of a deep geological storage between 2020 and 2025, feasibility of a long time disposal, researches options after 2020, the policy conclusions, the financing and the ANDRA position. (A.L.B.)

[en] The dossier gives a general survey of the National Debate on Energies, initiated by the Government, which has been taking place since the beginning of this year. Following a synthesis, the dossier begins with analyzes by the public authorities. Then come the standpoints of some professional groups, political parties and associations, together with selected declarations of some 'actors' in the field of energy, that is managers of major organizations and companies. Various view-points on nuclear energy, expressed during the Debate, are also given, as well as reports upon two major meetings organized by the Ministry of Industry and by the French Nuclear Energy Society (SFEN). (authors)

[en] This article studies the situation of radioactive waste management, more especially the possible storage in deep laboratories. In front of the reaction of public opinion relative to the nuclear waste question, it was essential to begin by a study on the notions of liability, transparence and democracy. At the beginning, it was a matter of underground researches with a view to doing an eventual storage of high level radioactive wastes. The Parliament had to define, through the law, a behaviour able to come to the fore for anybody. A behaviour which won recognition from authorities, from scientists, from industrial people, which guarantees the rights of populations confronted to a problem whom they were not informed, on which they received only few explanations. (N.C.)

[en] In the domains of medium-, low- and very low-level radioactive wastes, existing techniques are already implemented and belong to a well-mastered know-how. For high level wastes, according to the December 30, 1991 law, researches are carried out in three ways: separation-transmutation of long living radioactive elements, reversible or irreversible disposal inside deep geologic formations, and long lasting conditioning and surface storage. Each of these ways is useful, not contradictory but complementary to each other. This meeting has contributed to fulfill the approach requested by the French Parliament who considers that information spreading and transparency are key elements of the radioactive waste management debate, like technicality is. This small book is the proceedings of the 2 parliamentary meeting on nuclear energy which were specifically devoted to the problem of radioactive wastes management in the framework of the 1991 law. The meeting was organized around three round-tables dealing with: 1 - the management of low and medium-level radioactive wastes: a problem on the way of disappearing? 2 - What reprocessing mean for nuclear wastes? 3 - Disposal and storage of high-level radioactive wastes and spent fuels: where and for how long? The opinions expressed by the participants during the round-tables are compiled in this document. (J.S.)

[en] The author, member of the Parliamentary Committee on the Evaluation of Scientific and Technological Choices in France, presents the everyday experience of a legislator confronted with the realities of a controversial issue: the nuclear wastes management. He tries to answer the questions of the utility of the law in this domain and its limits. (A.L.B.)

[en] In 1991 the France decided to intensify its researches in the high activity radioactive wastes management domain. The law of the 30 December 1991 relative to the radioactive wastes management, decided that a period of 15 years would be devoted to the research of very long dated solutions. This law proposition takes into account these researches results and aims to define a policy of radioactive wastes management in the framework of a sustainable development. The authors present and discuss the different articles of the law proposition. (A.L.B.)

[en] The report on the working lifetime of nuclear power plants and new reactor types, by Mr Christian Bataille, deputy for the Nord, and Mr Claude Birraux, deputy for Haute-Savoie as well as President of the Office, supplements the studies carried out by the Parliamentary Office on the Safety of Nuclear Installations and Radioactive Wastes: it examines the remaining working life of the EDF nuclear power plants and the current status of projects that might, if circumstances were right, replace the reactors at present in service. The report investigates the different physical and other factors that influence the ageing of nuclear power plants and tackles the question of whether the design life of 40 years could be exceeded in practice. The whole issue of French nuclear power plant is put in perspective and compared with the situation of nuclear plants in Finland, Sweden, Germany and the United States, from the technical and regulatory standpoints. Believing that any attempt to optimise the working lifetime of the power plants currently in service must be accompanied by simultaneous moves aimed at their replacement, Messrs. Christian Bataille and Claude Birraux go on to review in detail the various light water reactor projects being proposed around the world for completion by 2015, as developments of existing models, in particular the EPR reactor of Framatome ANP, characterised by its competitiveness. They suggest that a first such reactor should be built as quickly as possible. Describing the other nuclear systems being investigated by research organisations not only in France but also in the United States and Sweden, Mrs. Christian Bataille and Claude Birraux review the objectives of these and the circumstances in which they might be developed, which would be unlikely to be before 2035 in view of the technological problems to be overcome and the industrial demonstration plants that would be needed