Authorities in France have opened an investigation following the death of a worker at the site of a proposed nuclear waste storage project in northeast France.
One technician died and another was injured when a tunnel collapsed at the site of the Cigeo project, which is being led by France’s nuclear waste agency, Andra. The tunnel housed an underground laboratory in which Andra was carrying out geophysical surveys and other assessments to help determine the suitability of the site as a long-term waste disposal facility, according to reports.
The local authorities in France’s Meuse region indicated that a landslide had occurred during drilling on 26 January. The site was evacuated and stability checks are being carried out.
Cigeo is a proposed deep geological disposal facility for radioactive waste facility that would serve as a long-term repository for waste generated by France’s current fleet of nuclear power plants.
The French government is expected to make a final investment decision on the €25 billion project by 2020.
