Weekly report : from April 10 through April 16, 2003

4/17/2003
Press release

Treatment activity :

During this period, 31 tons of spent fuel assemblies from french and german power plants have been processed on the site.

From all treated assemblies, a total of 280 tons have been processed to date this year.

This week 12 canisters of fission products(1) have been produced. Since the beginning of the year, 156 canisters have been produced.

Since the beginning of the year, the facility of hulls compaction (ACC) produced 144 canisters of compacted residues(2)


Shipment activity :

A shipment of spent fuel assemblies from Netherlands arrived at the Valognes railway terminal the April 11th, at 11:30 am.


(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)It is about the metal envelope of the spent fuel assemblies as well as metal waste resulting from maintenance operations of the installations.