Andra

What Andra does

Andra (Agence nationale pour la gestion des déchets radioactifs) is a French public industrial and commercial establishment (EPIC) responsible for the long-term management of all radioactive waste produced in France. Created in 1979 within CEA and established as an independent agency in 1991, Andra operates under government mandate with a statutory monopoly defined by the French Environment Code (Articles R.542-1 to R.542-19). It serves approximately 1,200 waste-producing entities, including the three major French nuclear operators (EDF, CEA, Orano), hospitals and medical facilities using radiopharmaceuticals, and industrial and research organizations outside the electronuclear sector. Its mission is to design, implement, and guarantee safe and responsible management solutions for all categories of radioactive waste, protecting present and future generations from radiological risk.

Andra's core infrastructure comprises three surface storage centers — the Centre de stockage de la Manche (CSM, operational since 1969, now in closure), the Centre de stockage de l'Aube (CSA, 1 million m³ capacity, operational since 1992), and the Centre industriel de regroupement, d'entreposage et de stockage (Cires, 650,000 m³ capacity for very low activity waste, operational since 2003) — collectively addressing roughly 90% of French radioactive waste. The agency's principal strategic asset is the underground research laboratory in Meuse/Haute-Marne at 490 meters depth (operational since 2000), which underpins development of Cigéo, a deep geological repository designed for high-activity and long-lived waste in Callovo-Oxfordian argillite formations at 500 meters depth. Cigéo carries a €25B reference cost objective set in 2016 and an operational horizon of approximately 150 years. Andra also operates the Observatoire pérenne de l'environnement (OPE), a 900 km² environmental monitoring system, and maintains the National Inventory of radioactive materials and waste in France.

Andra's revenue model is mixed, reflecting its hybrid public agency status. Funding flows from three streams: a dedicated research tax (taxe recherche) accounting for 26% of 2024 funding; a special contribution from nuclear operators EDF, CEA, and Orano for Cigéo design studies and preparatory work (40% of 2024 funding); and commercial service contracts with waste producers based on a polluter-pays principle, alongside public subsidies for non-commercial public service missions (national inventory, contaminated site remediation, collection of radioactive objects from private citizens). Pricing is not commercially negotiated — waste producers are legally required to use Andra's services. The agency employs 750 staff across five sites (Châtenay-Malabry headquarters, Bure, Soulaines-Dhuys, Morvilliers, and Digulleville), with 60.4% at headquarters and 25.2% at the Meuse/Haute-Marne center. R&D output includes approximately 100 patent families, 40-50 peer-reviewed scientific publications annually, and formal partnerships with 12+ French and international research institutions and counterpart agencies.

Name

Andra

Legal name

Agence nationale pour la gestion des déchets radioactifs

Website

https://andra.fr

Company type

Public

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Andra is France's government-mandated public agency managing long-term storage of all radioactive waste produced nationally, serving ~1,200 waste producers including EDF, CEA, and Orano through surface storage centers and the Cigéo deep geological repository project.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Radioactive Waste Management Services

NAICS

Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal (562211), Remediation and Other Waste Management Services (5629)

SIC

Hazardous Waste Management (4955), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Nuclear Waste Management & Geological Disposal (EUACADAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Repository operations & waste emplacement (handling systems, emplacement, ventilation) (EUAKAGAI), Waste conditioning, packaging & container systems (drums, casks, overpacks, canisters) (EUAKAGAC), Repository siting & site investigations (geology, hydrogeology, seismic, EIA support) (EUAKAGAF), Performance assessment, safety case & long-term monitoring (modeling, PA/SR, instrumentation) (EUAKAGAJ)

Keywords

• Radioactive waste management
• Deep geological repository
• Nuclear waste storage
• Surface storage facilities
• Environmental monitoring services

Headquarters

HQ city

Malabry

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Funding and Taxes: Andra receives public funding through a dedicated tax (taxe recherche - 26% of 2024 funding) and special contribution for Cigéo design studies and preparatory work (40% of 2024 funding). Funding from nuclear operators EDF, CEA, and Orano via taxes and contributions.
2. Commercial Contracts: Service contracts with radioactive waste producers for waste acceptance, treatment, storage, and surveillance services. Based on polluter-pays principle. Covers waste management operations, exploitation and surveillance of storage centers, and international expertise services.
3. Public Service Mission Funding: Government subsidy for public service missions including the National Inventory of radioactive materials and waste, collection of radioactive objects from private citizens, and remediation of historic contaminated sites.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Andra designs, operates, and guarantees safe long-term management solutions for all French radioactive waste, including surface storage centers for low, medium, and very low activity waste (CSM, CSA, Cires), and the Cigéo deep geological repository project under development for high-activity and long-lived waste at 500m depth. Services cover waste acceptance, characterization, treatment, transport coordination, surveillance of storage facilities, and the National Inventory of radioactive materials and waste.

Product overview

Andra offers a portfolio of integrated radioactive waste management solutions comprising surface and deep geological storage facilities, research laboratories, and monitoring services. The core offerings include Cigéo (deep geological repository for high-level waste), three surface storage centers (CSM, CSA, Cires), an underground research laboratory, the national radioactive waste inventory, and a permanent environmental observatory. R&D services support the design, safety assessment, and long-term monitoring of all storage facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cigéo: Deep geological repository project for high-level radioactive waste in Meuse/Haute-Marne
• CSA
• Cires
• CSM

Products and services

• Cigéo (Centre industriel de stockage géologique) Deep geological repository project for storing highly radioactive and long-lived waste from French nuclear facilities, located 500 meters underground in stable Callovo-Oxfordian argillite formations in the Meuse/Haute-Marne departments.
• Centre de stockage de la Manche (CSM) First French surface storage center for low and medium activity radioactive waste, operated from 1969 to 1994 and now in closure phase with ongoing active surveillance.
• Centre de stockage de l'Aube (CSA) Surface storage center operational since January 1992 with a storage capacity of one million cubic meters for primarily low and medium activity short-lived waste.
• Centre industriel de regroupement, d'entreposage et de stockage (Cires) Industrial center for very low activity waste with 650,000 m³ storage capacity, handling collection, sorting, treatment, and storage for non-electronuclear industry waste producers.
• Laboratoire souterrain de Meuse/Haute-Marne Underground research laboratory at 490 meters depth for studying clay geological formations and testing technologies for the Cigéo deep geological repository project.
• Inventaire national des matières et déchets radioactifs National inventory of radioactive materials and waste providing comprehensive annual data on quantities and five-year prospective estimates based on various energy policy scenarios in France.
• Observatoire pérenne de l'environnement (OPE) Long-term environmental observation and monitoring tool established in 2007 across a 900 km² area around the future Cigéo site, including an écothèque for sample preservation.
• R&D Services and Studies Research and development services covering geosciences, materials science, radionuclide behavior, applied mathematics, structural mechanics, environmental sciences, and robotics to support storage design and safety assessment.
• Waste Acceptance and Control Services Comprehensive waste acceptance process including technical specifications development, computerized identification and tracking, treatment, quality controls (destructive and non-destructive testing), and transport coordination for radioactive waste producers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of French radioactive waste has operational management solution (stored at Aube and Manche centers)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• NWMO (Nuclear Waste Management Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 March 2026Extended partnership agreement for international cooperation on nuclear waste management. Reflects ongoing collaborations among countries with nuclear power to develop geological repositories. NWMO is Canada's organization responsible for implementing the country's nuclear waste management strategy.
• EDF (R&D partnership)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016R&D collaboration on metallic material corrosion for HA overcontainer and lining, vitrified HA waste alteration, and geomechanical behavior of Callovo-Oxfordian argillites.
• CNRS (with NEEDS programme)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Collaboration since 2013 through NEEDS project (Nuclear: Energy, Environment, Waste, Society) covering radioactive waste treatment, conditioning, storage materials behavior, nuclear activity environmental impact, and nuclear risk and society studies.
• IFSTTARmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Partnership on structure monitoring, concrete durability, geotechnics, organic component aging, and organizational analysis.
• LNE (Laboratoire National de Métrologie et d'Essais)supportingTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2011Partnership on sensor drift control, test protocol definition and validation, environmental parameter monitoring follow-up, and regulatory measurement around storage centers.
• INRAE (Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Partnership on environmental process observation, monitoring and analysis, instrumentation development, ecosystem modification, and research program development.
• InriamajorTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2009Collaboration since 2009 on numerical simulation and associated tools covering physical process simulation, numerical resolution methods, and data processing and analysis.
• IGD-TP (Implementing Geological Disposal Technology Platform)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009European technology platform created in 2009 bringing together 120+ organizations for geological disposal R&D. Andra held presidency in 2011 and General Secretariat from 2012-2016.
• Université de LorrainemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007Partnership since 2007 in geosciences, environmental sciences, health sciences, and social sciences. New 2018 agreement for joint education, research, innovation, and shared tools for Cigéo implementation.
• CEA (Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2001R&D partnership on waste behavior in storage conditions, phenomenological evolution modeling, waste package control methods, HA cell development, concrete behavior under irradiation, and carbon-14 release from graphites.
• INERISmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2001Partnership on environmental impacts, surveillance, environmental status, substance chemistry and transfers, storage facility data acquisition, phenomenology and modeling, governance and consultation.
• BRGM (Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998Research partnership covering geology, geophysics, instrumentation, data mining, numerical simulation, uncertainty treatment, geochemistry, and transfer studies. Collaboration initiated in 1998.
• NAGRA (Switzerland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation for development and testing of underground laboratory experiments, particularly at Mont Terri in Switzerland. Swiss national cooperative for radioactive waste storage.
• ONDRAF (Belgium)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation on clay properties characterization and technological testing in underground laboratory in Mol, Belgium. Belgian national radioactive waste and fissile materials organization.
• SKB (Sweden)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation on sealing material development for underground structures and technological demonstrators for excavation, particularly in SKB's underground laboratory in Aspö, Sweden.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• DBE Technology (Germany): German technology company providing engineering services for radioactive waste repository construction, comparable to Andra's R&D and repository design functions in the deep geological disposal space.
• SKB (Svensk Kärnbränslehantering AB): Sweden's nuclear fuel and waste management company cooperating with Andra on sealing materials and excavation technology at the Äspö underground laboratory. Most advanced peer globally, with the Forsmark repository under construction.
• NUMO (Nuclear Waste Management Organization of Japan): Japan's designated nuclear waste management organization implementing geological disposal for high-level waste. National agency with the same statutory mandate to manage long-term disposal of high-level radioactive waste.
• ONDRAF/NIRAS: Belgium's national radioactive waste and fissile materials agency collaborating with Andra on clay properties characterization at the Mol underground laboratory. Same mandate, same deep geological disposal approach in clay host rock.
• Posiva Oy: Finnish nuclear waste management company building the Onkalo deep geological repository for spent fuel and a direct parallel to Andra's Cigéo project. Closest operational analogue worldwide with similar mandate, clay/crystalline host rock considerations, and regulatory pathway.
• NWMO (Nuclear Waste Management Organization): Canada's national nuclear waste management organization implementing geological disposal for spent fuel, with which Andra has an extended international cooperation partnership. Operates the same mandate of long-term radioactive waste management in a single country with deep geological repository objectives.
• NAGRA (National Cooperative for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste): Switzerland's national cooperative for radioactive waste storage, cooperating with Andra on underground laboratory experiments at the Mont Terri rock laboratory. Direct counterpart pursuing deep geological disposal of high-level waste.
• COVRA (Centrale Organisatie Voor Radioactief Afval): Netherlands' national radioactive waste storage organization managing interim surface storage and planning geological disposal. Direct counterpart in size and mandate, with operational storage at Vlissingen.

Broad incumbents

• Sellafield Ltd: UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority subsidiary operating one of Europe's largest nuclear sites with legacy waste storage, reprocessing, and decommissioning mandates. Overlapping capabilities in radioactive waste handling but broader nuclear site scope rather than pure waste management agency.
• Veolia Nuclear Solutions: Global environmental services group with nuclear decommissioning, waste treatment, and site remediation operations that overlap with Andra's hazardous waste management and remediation mandates. Operates as a commercial incumbent across the broader nuclear services market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/andra_france
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/andrafr
• Facebookfacebook.com/andra.france
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/andra_2

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Andra