Delegation visit to France to Flamanville 3 NPP construction site and La Hague recycling plant

A delegation of MEPs, ITRE secretariat, European Commission, and Associate Members of the EEF was invited to visit the Flamanville 3 Nuclear Power Plant construction site and La Hague recycling plant.

The group visited the construction site of Flamanville 3. The EPR®, an advanced nuclear reactor in terms of competitiveness, safety and environmental protection, is scheduled to be delivered in 2014.

The visit continued to AREVA’s La Hague Recycling Plant which takes care of used fuel from nuclear power stations from utilities of various countries. It separates the reusable materials (uranium and plutonium) and processes the final waste for further treatment. 96% of the used fuel can be recycled through this process. In this case, the volume of the final waste is reduced by a factor of 5 and its toxicity by a factor of 10.

Participants were very satisfied with the visit and found it useful in view of the discussions following the proposal of Directive on the management of spent fuel and radioactive waste. They had the opportunity to understand better the challenges related to nuclear waste management as well as learn about the potential of the recycling option.