The cargo was loaded around 3 a.m. at the port, where law enforcement was present. MOX, a nuclear fuel containing plutonium, was loaded overnight from Friday to Saturday on a ship in the port of Cherbourg (Manche) while waiting to be transported to its final destination, Japan, noted a photographer from the AFP.
“We transported the second packaging of MOX fuel, which left the Orano La Hague site to the port of Cherbourg, and the packaging was then loaded onto the boat,” French nuclear group Orano told AFP.
A journey of “several months”
The operation was carried out “successfully” and it is the second package sent to Cherbourg, from the town of La Hague located 20 km away, after the one which arrived in the Normandy port on September 7. A technical problem – the failure of a lifting gantry – had then prevented the departure of nuclear fuel for Japan.
“The departure of the boat is imminent and will take place during the day”, we also learned from the Orano group, specifying that a journey of “several months” is necessary to reach Japan. .
75,000 euros fine for anyone who comes close
During the previous transport of MOX from Cherbourg to Japan, in September 2021, the ship had left the port in the afternoon following the morning fuel loading. The MOX will be transported to Japan with two ships from the specialized British shipping company PNTL (Pacific Nuclear Transport Limited): the Pacific Egret and the Pacific Heron, according to Orano.
Justice had planned a fine of 75,000 euros for anyone approaching the MOX. According to Orano, MOX is a nuclear fuel that allows the recycling of spent fuel. It is made from materials from fuels irradiated in power plants to produce electricity.
“In a world today extremely destabilized, in crisis with Russia as well as with China and Taiwan, transporting such dangerous materials from the point of view of nuclear proliferation is completely irresponsible”, had for his part estimated end of August Yannick Rousselet of Greenpeace France.
According to Orano, “the plutonium contained in the MOX is not the same as that used by the military”.