Management of Spent Fuel from Nuclear Power Reactors

France’s efficiency in the nuclear fuel cycle: what can oui learn? By Shant Krikorian

ith 58 nuclear power reactors To manage the nearly 1150 tonnes of spent producing nearly 72% of France’s fuel it produces every year, France, like Welectricity in 2018, France is one of the several other countries, decided early on countries with the highest share of nuclear to close its national nuclear fuel cycle by power in its energy production. Along with recycling or reprocessing spent fuel. In doing “The recycling of spent this energy, however, France’s nuclear fleet so, the French nuclear industry can recover is also responsible for producing a significant uranium and plutonium from the used fuel for fuel is a major element of amount of spent fuel and radioactive waste. reuse, thereby also reducing the volume of the strategy of the French high-level waste. nuclear sector, which has The strength of France’s national spent fuel more than 30 years of policy, in addition to tight legislation and a The nuclear fuel recycling process involves strong regulatory body, can be attributed to converting spent plutonium, formed in industrial experience.” the standardization of its nuclear fleet and nuclear power reactors as a by-product —Denis Lépée, Senior Vice President the policy of recycling its spent fuel, French of burning uranium fuel, and uranium and Head, Nuclear Fuel Division, EDF experts have said. This leads to an efficient into a “mixed oxide” (MOX) that can be and secure supply and a reduced radioactive reused in nuclear power plants to produce waste burden. more electricity.

In France, all operating units are “The recycling of spent fuel is a major pressurized water reactors of just three element of the strategy of the French nuclear standard types, all designed by Framatome: sector, which has more than 30 years of three-loop 900 MWe (34 reactors), four-loop industrial experience,” says Denis Lépée, 1300 MWe (20 reactors) and four-loop Senior Vice President and Head of the 1450 MWe (4 reactors). French nuclear Nuclear Fuel Division at EDF, the French power reactors, therefore, have the highest electric utility company that operates the degree of standardization among countries country’s nuclear power plants. with large nuclear fleets. This also translates into a standardized approach when dealing “This makes it possible to limit the volume with the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle, of materials and to minimize waste, while which involves spent fuel and waste conditioning it in a safe way. This strategy, management, decommissioning, and which is an important pillar of France’s environmental remediation. overall nuclear electricity production, makes

The Orano La Hague reprocessing facility. More than 34,000 metric tons of used fuel has been treated here since the site’s operation in 1976. (Photo: Orano)

8 | IAEA Bulletin, June 2019 Management of Spent Fuel from Nuclear Power Reactors

Gravelines 6

Chooz 4 2 Penly 2 1 Paluel Cattenom La Hague 4 2 Flamanville 900 MW Caen

1,300 MW 1 Paris 3 2 Brennilis 3 Nogent-sur-Seine 1,450 MW 2 Fessenheim Morvilliers Saint-Laurent- 4 Soulaines Bure 1,650 MW des-Eaux 3 4 Dampierre 2 2 2 Belleville-sur-Loire Number of reactors Chinon 2 2 2 Reactors under construction Civaux Bugey Reactors under 1 4 1 decommissioning 4 Creys-Malville Research reactor Blayais Lyon Saint-Alban 2 1 Fuel cycle activities Grenoble Cruas 4 Pierrelatte Research centre 2 Tricastin 4 Golfech Waste repository

Phénix 1 Marcoule 4 Waste repository research laboratory Marseille Cadarache

Malvési

a significant contribution to the country’s Used fuel assemblies from various nuclear Map of French nuclear facilities energy independence.” power plants are transported to La Hague, (Source: EDF, CEA) where they are kept in a storage pool. Through recycling, up to 96% of the Components from the spent fuel are then reusable material in spent fuel can be separated and recyclable materials are recovered. In its 6th National Report under recovered. At the Melox facility, plutonium the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent is remixed with depleted uranium to produce Fuel Management and on the Safety of MOX fuel. Radioactive Waste Management, France states that the national policy of recycling This reprocessing–recycling strategy requires spent fuel has meant that it needs 17% less close and regular coordination between the natural uranium to operate its plants than it various industrial actors, said John Czerwin, would without recycling. Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales Support at Orano. These actors include Orano, the French company in charge of those who manage reactors, fuel and disposal nuclear fuel cycle activities that provides infrastructures, ensuring the coherence of the the fuel for and manages the waste from the integrated industrial system. country’s nuclear power plants, has stated that its strategy is to reprocess spent fuel “This confirms the benefits of this strategy: while optimizing the energy yield of nuclear first, maintaining limited nuclear waste; second, fuel. Reprocessing is carried out at the La saving uranium resources by enhancing the Hague reprocessing plant and at Marcoule reuse of materials; and finally, preparing for the MOX fuel manufacturing plant. future in order to strengthen France’s energy independence and guarantee the sustainability Since the start of operations in the mid-1960s, of nuclear energy,” Czerwin adds. the La Hague plant has safely processed over 23 000 tonnes of spent fuel — enough to The French Safety Authority (ASN) regularly power France’s nuclear fleet for 14 years. assesses the safety impact of this approach.

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