Electricité de France (EDF) plans to set up its future centralized swimming pool to store spent nuclear fuel on the existing reprocessing site at La Hague (Manche), operated by the Orano group. This is what the electricity producer said on Tuesday, June 30:
“Orano was asked to carry out a feasibility study for the establishment of a new storage pool in La Hague. “
Orano, who has confirmed that he has been seized, must submit his study by the end of the year. “On the basis of this study, we will make a decision”, added EDF, which has not yet selected any site.
Belleville-sur-Loire site finally abandoned
In France, spent nuclear fuel is stored in a pool when it leaves the reactor, very hot and radioactive; first a few years in the power plant, then on the Orano site in La Hague before their possible treatment.
While the La Hague storage pools are likely to reach saturation by 2030, EDF has long been planning the construction of a new basin. The location of this centralized swimming pool has been the subject of much speculation, the name of the Belleville-sur-Loire nuclear power plant (Cher) being often mentioned.
But EDF said on Tuesday that it had finally given up on this site. François Bonneau, president of the Center-Val de Loire regional council, welcomed “A great victory for our inhabitants and our territory”. “We would not have been able to accept that our so beautiful region become the nuclear waste bin of France”said the elected socialist in a statement.
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