Report from August 7th to 20th, 2012

Since the beginning of the year, 589 tons of spent fuels were treated, with the aim of their recycling. After a period of programmed maintenance, the UP3 plant restarted August 19th. The other plant (UP2 800) is always currently stopped for planned maintenance.

• 436 containers of vitrified waste⁽¹⁾ were elaborated in vitrification facilities.
• 494 containers of compacted waste(2) were elaborated in the facility of compaction of hulls, which assures the packaging of the metallic structures of spent fuels. 

(1)The fission products (ultimate residues of spent fuel) are incorporated in heated glass to approximately 1100°C. The whole is poured in stainless steel containers. The fission products are an integral part of stable, compact and resistant glass. This process is called vitrification.

(2)The compacted waste corresponds to the metallic structures of spent fuels, which once compacted, allow to divide by 5 the volume of the ultimate waste.