Orano transports samples of British nuclear materials to its Melox site

Orano TN is organizing on behalf of its British partner International Nuclear Services (INS), a subsidiary of the Nuclear Decommissioning Agency (NDA), a shipment of samples of a few hundred grams of plutonium oxide, between Cherbourg and the Orano Melox plant (Gard, southern France), specialized in the recycling of nuclear materials.

The shipment arrived in Cherbourg today and the samples will now be transported onwards by road convoy to their destination.

The samples are conditioned in a package specifically designed to ensure the containment and permit safe transport of the material. These packages have been approved by the British (Office for Nuclear Regulation) and French (Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire) government authorities in accordance with national and international regulations.

The samples in question will be used in the testing line set up at the Melox site laboratory to conduct analyses and verify the feasibility of converting the British plutonium oxide into Mox pellets. This could then be recycled through the plant's industrial process and used to produce fuel to supply electricity to the European market.

In France, 10% of nuclear-generated electricity comes from recycled materials.

The shipment is taking place under the agreement between NDA and Orano to provide our British partner with technical expertise on the option of recycling its plutonium oxide inventory stored at the Sellafield site in the UK.