In a statement to Agence France Press, Philippe Saint-Raymond, Deputy Director of DSIN, the French nuclear facility safety authority, stated:" We do not place any blame on COGEMA with regard to procedures at this time.
The authorization in principle for the plant where reprocessing is to be performed is not at issue.
With respect to the operating go-ahead, the current practice is to split the license into two back-to-back permits. The first one was granted on 25 October 1999.
As for the reprocessing permit, COGEMA has not yet requested it because it does not intend to reprocess in the next few months. Technically, this type of fuel must be cooled before it is reprocessed.
The longer one waits, the easier it is to reprocess.In this case, COGEMA complied completely with our practice, which is not formalized in writing, of decoupling the two permits. But if the initial court decision announced yesterday is not reversed, our practice may need to be reviewed".
Consult the web site of the nuclear security Authority (ASN): http://www.asn.gouv.fr/