[en] In France it is required by law that the future geological repository for high-level waste (HLW) and intermediate-level long-lived waste (ILW-LL) be 'reversible' but the conditions for reversibility will be defined after the license application for construction. This situation requires scientists to establish dialogue with the stakeholders and issue specific proposals before a new law is promulgated as a preliminary to obtaining authorization to build a waste repository. Such dialogue can identify the various expectations of stakeholders. These expectations call for answers of various natures: better mutual understanding through clarifications on specific subjects, technical features to be incorporated in the design, and proposals for governance features of the disposal process. These answers are being developed in the framework of the program conducted by Andra. This dialogue is a continuous process. While a major decision point will be met around 2016, concerning the license for construction, discussion and revisions will continue as part of the disposal program, until the final closure of the repository, or even later. (authors)

[en] As the demand for reversibility in the case of radioactive waste disposal is supposed to meet concerns regarding the ability to retrieve parcels in case of problem, the possibility to make choices for future generations whenever better management solutions would emerge, and the need to act with prudence on this complex issue which corresponds to a commitment on a long term, the authors describe the Andra's approach to reversibility. This approach relies on technical measures aimed at easing the possible retrieval of parcels, and on a decision process which allows the disposal process to be steered in relationship with the progressive development of the storage centre and its step-by-step closure

[en] The International Retrievability Scale has been developed with two main objectives: to support dialogue with stakeholders and to establish a common international framework. The notion of establishing an international retrievability scale (R-scale) was being tested even before the launch of the R and R project. Once the project was established, further development of the R-scale was undertaken by a dedicated working group, which was equally tasked with the drafting of a leaflet. More than 18 months were spent testing and improving the leaflet and the R-scale, both within the working group and beyond. It is hoped that discussion during the R and R Conference will lead to further refinement; feedback from interested parties is encouraged and appreciated. The R-scale is presented in schematic form in Figure 1. For added clarity, a tabular version of the R-scale is also provided in Table 1. As can be seen at the top of Figure 1, the different stages of waste disposal can be reduced to a series of common steps. The duration of steps is variable according to specific national programme provisions. After the visualisation of stages, the second part of the R-scale allows us to examine conceptually the ease and cost of retrieval at each stage. Again, the duration of each block, and the relative proportion between ease and cost, will depend on the national programme in place. In the third part of Figure 1, the character of safety assurance at each stage is represented through the relative weight of active and passive controls. A four-page leaflet entitled International Understanding of Reversibility of Decisions and Retrievability of Waste in Geological Disposal was prepared for distribution at this conference. The leaflet is divided into three sections. Section 1 provides a general description of the geological disposal process, and addresses topics such as the objective of a geological repository, the life cycle stages of the repository, the role of observation along the process and the decisions to be made. Section 2 of the leaflet provides clear definitions of the terminology employed, in an effort to avoid confusion during debate and decision-making processes. The leaflet defines reversibility as 'decision-making during project implementation [which] involves ensuring that the implementation process and technologies maintain flexibility so that, at any stage of the programme, reversal or modification of one or a series of previous decisions may be possible if needed..' In applying the reversibility principle, 'each major authorisation [..] can be seen as an assessment of whether the process can continue as foreseen or whether one of the reversibility options should be exercised.' Retrievability, on the other hand, is defined as 'the ability to retrieve emplaced waste or entire waste packages.' Retrievability is a notion that may increase confidence in the entire waste repository process, though it should not be considered part of the basic safety concept of waste disposal in a final repository. With time, research and development may provide ways to reduce the degree of difficulty of retrieval. Section 3 of the leaflet presents the International Retrievability Scale. '[It] has been developed to illustrate qualitatively the degree and type of effort that is needed to retrieve the waste according to the stages in its life cycle before and after its emplacement in a repository.' It is hoped that this tool will facilitate dialogue and decision-making processes. Testing of the R-scale and leaflet has commenced within the community of experts in radioactive waste management, and is being applied through the R and R project, and by the larger community of NEA groups (FSC, IGSC,..) and other contacts. The R-scale has been presented to local and national stakeholders in France and the United Kingdom, and was a topic of discussion in a 2010 state-of-the-art report of the Swedish National Council for Nuclear Waste. The R-scale is a potentially useful dialogue tool between people who do not share the same experience and language. Such groups include experts of various fields (nuclear, economics, technology, environment), local stakeholders and implementers of various national programmes. Providing a common vocabulary and a framework for discussion can, at a minimum, clarify the debate. The leaflet has been an efficient tool for exchange within the R and R project team, and has evolved towards a synthesis of the findings of the R and R project. For these findings to be useful at each national level, translation of the leaflet should be performed. The French poet Paul Valery (1871-1945) stated that 'If it is simple, it is inaccurate; if it is not simple, it is not helpful'.1 Our ambition was to develop a helpful tool for dialogue, simple but not inaccurate; the exercise has not been without difficulty

[en] Maintaining the memory of repositories over the long term is required not only to ensure safety and reversibility (legal requirements), but also in response to social expectations. Since 2010, ANDRA has been implementing a long-term memory preservation program to reinforce and diversify its current arrangements in that field, as well as explore opportunities to extend memory keeping over thousands of years. As a reference solution, ANDRA uses the arrangement and practices in place at its surface disposal facilities. Although at ANDRA they are well aware of the fact that the operational time of a LILW disposal corresponds more or less with the implementation time of a geological disposal, useful insights can nevertheless be gained from the experience with short-lived LILW. The reference solution implemented at the Centre de la Manche and de l'Aube includes five memorization devises, differentiating between passive and active memory keeping. There are three passive memories, consisting of copies with various degrees of information on permanent paper, and two active memories, consisting of oral transmissions under the form of events and meetings with various (local) stakeholders. For HLW, ANDRA calculates a timescale of 200 years for the total implementation of a geological disposal, and a minimum of memory of 500 years afterwards, which necessitates conservation of RK and M for 700 years in total. Permanent paper lasts 600-1000 years. ANDRA also developed a sapphire disk which can contain large amounts of records and endure 1 million years. In fact this device created more questions; the purpose is exactly to question 'solutions' that are solely based on engineering. It for instance evokes questions such as 'Which languages should we use, which graphical material should we add, how can we avoid vandalism, what meaning will future generations give to the traces we leave?' All these issues and more are being investigated under ANDRA's long term memory preservation program, in which the social sciences are heavily involved. In 2013 a large public debate will be organized about the project, and in 2015 the description of the memory preservation mechanisms will be included in the licensing application for a deep geological disposal. During the discussion, it was clarified that the 'sapphire disk' could not be updated, but the plan would be to update the data every ten years and a new disk made. Also with regard to data carriers, it was questioned why for instance the Swiss Federal Archives go for 'all digital', while France would stick to paper. There are indeed pros and cons for both. A concrete example of collaboration with the national archive was given: in 1994, the safety authority asked questions related to the Centre de la Manche for which ANDRA did not have the answers. This encouraged them to work together with the national archive of France. In this context, the question arose whether ANDRA had conducted any work on also connecting with international archives, such as the IAEA and the UN

[en] In the framework of its Memory Program, Andra has launched various studies related to semiotics, for the medium and long term. Part of this work, dealing with linguistics and semiotics, is performed at the Centre de Recherches Semiotiques (CeReS) of the University of Limoges. Preliminary results highlight the fact that language durability may be reasonably considered for the medium term, but cannot be expected beyond a few thousands of years, and that languages cannot guarantee message appropriation. The role of Man and of the disposal site itself in message transmission is emphasized. In this context, art may play an important role in this transmission, by transmitting the meaning without necessarily using language. By the way, Andra has been exploring for several years the role of art for memory transmission, by supporting the work of artists interested in this field. In future research, Andra will promote more cross fertilization of artistic and academic reflections. (authors)

[en] Andra's approach for memory preservation on the long term is based first on a reference solution, which has been developed and implemented for the Manche disposal facility, the 'Centre de la Manche' (CSM). The reference solution is based on three sets of documents ('passive memory' provisions) and on activities involving the public, the local stakeholders and/or experts ('active memory' provisions). The reference solution is perennial for 6 to 10 centuries. Andra has decided to set a target of keeping the memory of the disposal facility for as long as possible. So, a research program to develop memory provisions for several millennia was launched in 2010. The most important and most promising studies come from scientific realms such as linguistics and semiotics, geology and archaeology, and feedback from surveys on transmission medium and preservation. Other studies are available in different areas, where social sciences and humanities play a prominent role. (authors)

[en] The concept of a Key Information File developed in the framework of the RK and M international initiative has been tested against the case of the Manche surface repository. Work is still in progress. The aim is to issue a final version before end of year 2018, with the file for the decennial safety assessment update. The KIF will be part of the regulatory required Summary Memory File. Testing the KIF brought several lessons, on the elaboration process of such document, on the adaptation of the KIF concept to a surface repository, on the necessary evolution of the document over time. The Manche repository is the first repository operated by Andra, and the one at its most advanced stage. Therefore, it is de facto a pilot for similar issues encountered on other Andra's repositories. The difficulties encountered, the errors made and analyzed are the basis for improved provisions in other cases. It has been the case for the repository design, when the second surface repository was implemented in the Aube district. It is now the case for the cover design, for monitoring and for memory provisions. (authors)

[en] Pictograms are often mentioned as a possible tool for sending messages about radioactive waste repositories in a far future, when the understand ability of our languages will have been lost. But they have also limits, related to the use of conventions that may fade over time. The goals of a signaling system for the long term may be (1) to alert (raise attention), (2) to inform of an underlying danger due to the existence of radioactive wastes, (3) to induce a favorable behavior (provoke or deter actions) in order not to disturb the performance of the repository. The quest for trans-cultural and trans-generational performance requires that some universal semiotic features be identified, shared by human beings of various cultures nowadays, and from far in the past to the present. Considering the typology of colors in various languages, the use of colors in ancient rock art and in children's drawings, a dedicated role may be assigned to each of the three colors, white, black and red/ocher, with a high potential for sustainable meaning: 1) red background = pay attention to this object because of the simple presence of the red color, that is to say the first color felt as color; 2) white inscription = absence of the object / action represented; 3) black inscription = presence of the object / action represented. The representation of a human body in movement inside a context is also understandable by people from various cultures. The combination of these 'semiotic primitives', used as relevant semantic features of the object and/or the experience to be represented, and 'topo-sensitive' criteria, used for pictogram production processes, would thus become a way to conceive a trans-cultural and trans-generational sign system for the signaling of radioactive danger. The choice of the stone could guarantee the durability of the support; the color could guarantee its visibility; and both could guarantee the transmission of the message. Combining these criteria could open the way to a long term communication system about radioactive waste repositories. (authors)

[en] The French La Manche repository site received its last radioactive waste package in 1994. In 2003, the official surveillance phase of the closed repository started under the supervision of Andra (the national industrial operator), the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) and society (e.g. the local municipalities). Florence Espiet explained that information on the existence of the repository, its content, how it was operated and how it works needs to be preserved. It also is planned to review the information periodically for a minimum of 300 years. She described the creation of two documents on memory (a detailed and a summary one), both on permanent paper, and the preservation of the land registration. The latter constitutes 'passive' provisions for preserving memory. In addition, a number of 'active' provisions are and will be put in place: guided visits, exhibitions, partnerships with organisations dealing with memory preservation, and the creation of a think tank. The latter consists of local citizens and politicians, retired employees from Andra and artists that meet several times a year and reflect on memory preservation from the perspective of, for instance, local history, education, arts and rituals. Finally, two types of markers will be used to preserve the repository's memory: i) three herbaria cataloguing the plants growing on the site of the repository, including a very short description of the repository, will be stored at different sites in France; ii) a stele indicating the main characteristics of the repository, potentially linked to an art work, will be erected at the repository

[en] The aim of this analysis is to investigate the potential usefulness of mechanisms that have international influence, scope or support and are based on international cooperation, for the preservation of records, knowledge and memory (RK and M) about radioactive waste in the short and medium term. Eleven international mechanisms set up through the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the European Commission (EC) were analysed following two main objectives: identifying the key characteristics of the organisations coordinating the international mechanisms and analysing the contribution of those mechanisms to the preservation of records, memory and knowledge. This analysis points out that the link with international organisations provides international mechanisms with important technical and administrative support as well as with fora for dialogue. The voluntary involvement of contracting parties to join the individual mechanisms for a common goal and their declaration of adhesion to the objectives constitute the driving force of various international conventions. Nevertheless, the efficacy of these mechanisms can be limited in case of conflict. Most of these mechanisms are based on the recognition of individual and societal rights for protection issues, and entail that each contracting party assumes the mechanism's responsibilities. The mechanisms provide a platform for establishing an 'evolving' convention. The prime objective of the conventions examined in this document lies on economic development, while the international mechanisms associated with them also emphasise the necessity to take into account societal and environmental issues. The link with more general frameworks allows the mobilisation of regular funds. Beyond the funds, it is important to mention that the efficiency also relies on the capacity of the various stakeholders (local/national/international) to mobilise dedicated resources for their involvement in the decision-making process. The implementation of their multilevel responsibility and decision process depends on the willingness of the contracting parties to reach compromise. The mechanisms provide various tools and frameworks to cope with information, participation and compliance of the various stakeholders. Their key role is to increase contracting parties' awareness on the issues at stake in the conventions and to sustain the common goal identified as well as to detect problems and, if necessary, to provide assistance, notably in case of conflict or economic, social or environmental crisis. The establishment of advisory bodies, composed of networks of international experts, contributes significantly to the development of expertise and its sustainability. The involvement of local experts and the framework for mobilising pluralistic expertise is also crucial. The long-term sustainability of the actions constitutes a real challenge. This issue, however, is generally not addressed as such in the international mechanisms analysed in this review. The exceptions are the World Heritage Convention and the Memory of the World Register for which the preservation and sustainability of the sites and documentary heritage are crucial. A further noteworthy mechanism is the International Nuclear Information System (INIS). This international database system groups various sources of information and aims at disseminating the information through INS training centres. These three international mechanisms provide dialogue platforms allowing to analyse and to interpret the collected information as well as to discuss the modalities of data preservation for the short and medium term. Finally, it has to be noted that most of the mechanisms encourage the development of an 'active memory'. This analysis shows that, in principle, international mechanisms could contribute significantly to the preservation of RK and M. In this context, it could be envisaged for RK and M preservation in radioactive waste management (RWM) to rely on such existing mechanisms. For this purpose, there is a need to identify the necessary adaptation of the existing mechanisms to cope with RK and M issues in RWM and to explore the conditions of implementation of an international mechanism is this domain (notably concerning partnership, funding, and the development and mobilisation of expertise). (authors)