28 Oct (NucNet): The disposal of radioactive waste from the planned Diadem radioactive waste storage facility at the ASN (Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire) site in Marcoule, southern France, is not liable to result in significant radioactive contamination in another member state, even in the event of an accident, the European Commission has said.
In a document published online the EC said the distance between the proposed facility and the nearest border with another member state, Italy, would be 170 km.
“During normal operating conditions the discharges of liquid and gaseous radioactive effluents are not liable to cause an exposure of the population in another member state that would be significant from the point of view of health,” the document said.
The Diadem facility will be used to handle waste from the decommissioned Phénix fast neutron reactor at Marcoule.
Phénix, construction of which began in 1968, was an early generation, small-scale prototype fast neutron reactor that began commercial operation in July 1974. It was permanently shut down in February 2010.
The Marcoule nuclear site combines a CEA research centre and Areva’s industrial operations. France’s first industrial and military plutonium experiments took place there. Activities today include the production of mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel, the clean-up and disassembly of nuclear installations, the production of tritium, and the treatment of liquid waste and waste products.
