Cogema has started reprocessing 3.5 tonnes of spent fuel from Australia at its La Hague reprocessing plant in France after receiving “full and proper” authorisation to proceed.
Reprocessing of the consignment of spent fuel, from Australia’s Lucas Heights research reactor, had been temporarily prevented following an April 2005 ruling by the court of appeal in Caen, until Cogema received the second part of a required two-part authorisation [see News No. 71, 14th April 2005].
The Caen court had given Cogema three months in which to present the required authorisation or face the possibility of returning the spent fuel to Australia. While the operational authorisation was received on 29th March 2005, technical authorisation was only received from the country’s nuclear safety and radiation protection authority (DGSNR) at the end of May, a Cogema spokesman told NucNet. The company announced on 9th June that reprocessing of the spent fuel had begun.
