Preventive measures and network
Preventive measures
Eight sites or activities at risk have been identified and each of them has been specially equipped, depending on the pollution generated. It should be noted that the Diamant transit Station, which until now had been receiving waste from the base, will no longer be listed as a risk site. Transfer of waste to the new Endel Transit Station (the Ecocentre) began at the beginning of 2007 and the Diamant site should be totally closed down by the end of the year.
Endel, which has been managing this site since 1998, works with the CNES/CSG infrastructure Department on restoring the site, which will depend on the use to which it will be put in the future . The Ecocentre claims that there has been no ground pollution or environmental accident.
Concerning all aspects of the launcher in flight, CNES/CSG deploys an Environment measurements plan for each launch, which is completed with regular operations for the fauna. CNES/CSG, in partnership with the French Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS - Centre National de Recherche Scientifique) is co-financing a doctoral thesis to further understanding of the chemical phenomena which occur within the launcher’s combustion cloud. The research for this thesis should be undertaken at the beginning of the next university year.
A network for the environment
The deployment of Environment operations for various activities throughout the CSG requires an organised network. Nine Environment officers monitor operations in their zone, in particular for activities and sites at risk. They regularly report on measures taken or to be taken to the CNES/CSG Environment unit.
At the same time, there are six Seveso classified companies on the Base (ALSG, Arianespace, Astrium, CNES/CSG, Europropulsion, Regulus). When they submit requests to the Prefecture to work on the base, they have to include CSG environment impact files, which the Environment and Ground safety Department (SDP-ES) studies then validates.
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