9th vitrified waste shipment to the Netherlands

A rail transport carrying vitrified waste, a by-product of the treatment of nuclear fuel, arrived today on the COVRA site in the Netherlands. The convoy, which carried a transport cask containing 24 containers of vitrified waste, had left the Orano rail terminal at Valognes the day before. This was the 9th shipment of vitrified waste to the Netherlands since 2004.

The transport was carried out in accordance with applicable national and international regulations, in order to guarantee a high level of safety and security. The type of transport cask used complies with International Atomic Energy Agency safety standards and it is designed to ensure the protection of people and the environment under all circumstances.

This return shipment forms part of those being made under the terms of a contract signed in 2011 between Orano and the Dutch electricity company EPZ, regarding the recycling of over 200 tons of used fuel from the Borssele NPP, which is located in the province of Zeeland.

To date, and since the first contract was signed with EPZ in 1978, over 390 tons of used Dutch fuel has been sent to Orano’s la Hague site, of which around 385 tons have already been processed, continuing a long-term collaboration between the Netherlands and France on a sustainable nuclear fuel cycle.

It should be remembered that used fuel contains 96% recyclable energy materials and 4% of “ultimate waste" which is vitrified for optimized, safe and stable, long-term conditioning. The Dutch waste is being returned in accordance with French law and in line with intergovernmental agreements which provide for the return of nuclear waste to its country of origin.

These activities require close cooperation between the stakeholders in the Netherlands, France and Belgium. Orano is proud of this success, which speaks to the quality of its industrial cooperation with its long-time Dutch customer, EPZ. This partnership is opening the way for a future of European cooperation in the nuclear sector, and for sustainable, safe and sovereign energy generation across the continent.