Seventh transport of metallic compacted waste to the Netherlands

A railway shipment of metallic compacted waste⁽¹⁾ is shipped today from AREVA’s railway terminal in Valognes (France) to the storage facility in COVRA⁽²⁾ (Netherlands).

This seventh transport is composed of two casks containing 48 containers of metallic compacted waste. It brings the number of containers shipped to the Netherlands up to 224, which represents 73% of the containers of metallic compacted waste to be shipped to this country.

It is operated in accordance with intergovernmental agreement between France and the Netherlands. This transport forms part of a contract signed in 1978 between AREVA and the Dutch electrician EPZ⁽³⁾ for the processing-recycling of 350 tons of use nuclear fuel and at the French capacities planning the return of the nuclear waste in their country of origin.
Up to now, 67% of the Netherlands vitrified wastes have been returned.

These transports of nuclear material fully comply with national and international applicable regulations in order to guarantee a high level of safety and security. The cask used is compliant with safety criteria defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and is designed to ensure people and environment protection in all circumstances.

⁽¹⁾ The spent fuel metallic structures received at AREVA la Hague plant are cut and compacted to reduce their volume by 5. These compacted wastes are then placed into steel containers.

⁽²⁾ COVRA (Centrale Organisatie Voor Radioactief Afval) is the Organisation in charge of the management of radioactive waste in the Netherlands.

⁽³⁾ The Dutch Electric Company EPZ (Elektriciteits-Produktiemaatschappij Zuid) is in charge of the management of the Borssele reactor (pressurized water reactor of 485 MW) located in the southwest of the Netherlands.