Last rail shipment of nuclear waste reaches its destination in Germany

The 13th and final rail shipment carrying vitrified high-level nuclear waste reached the site of the intermediate storage facility in Philippsburg, Germany, on 20 November at around 17:45. This transport settles all commitments relating to the contracts for the recycling of used fuel signed between Orano and German utilities, PreussenElektra, RWE, EnBW and Vattenfall, since 1977.

As stipulated in the agreement between the French and German governments and in accordance with the clauses provided for in the contracts between manufacturers, it was agreed in 2021 to apply the principle of equivalence in mass and radioactivity in the return of this waste issued from the processing of German used fuel as soon as possible.

The 2021 agreement had two components. One concerned the transfer of ownership of 24 French reconditioned heavy casks to German utilities. As requested by the German companies, these empty casks were shipped to a US metal recycling plant. The other concerned the return of high-activity vitrified residues to the Philippsburg storage site in Germany. This waste was transported in 4 casks approved by the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) meeting international safety standards. The objective of this agreement was to respect the commitment made by all parties to have finalized all waste returns before the end of 2024.

Most of the radioactivity had previously been returned to Germany during prior shipments, between 1996 to 2011.

As a reminder, from 1977 to 1991, contracts for the treatment of used fuel were signed with the four German electricity utility companies for the recycling of fuel elements from German nuclear reactors as well as the conditioning of residual waste. 5,310 tonnes of fuel were thus processed by Orano.