Weekly report : from November 7, 2002 through November 13, 2002

Press release

November 14, 2002

Treatment activity :

During this week, 28 tons of spent fuel assemblies from EDF and Goesgen Swiss power plants have been processed on the site.

From all treated assemblies, a total of 845.8 tons have been processed to date this year.

Four of the six lines of vitrification of fission products* were in service. Since the beginning of the year, 466 canisters have been produced.

It should be noted that the facility of hulls compaction (ACC) produced 207 canisters of compacted** residues since its startup at the end of the year 2001.

Shipment activity :

A shipment containing 12 casks of german vitrified residues left the railway terminal of Valognes, the November 11th at 19:05 pm going to the German storage facility in Gorleben.

IIt is the fifth shipment of this type towards Germany in accordance with the commercial contracts concluded with our customers across the Rhine.

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