UP2 plant :
At the UP2 plant, shearing of fuel assemblies from a batch of 900 MWe EDF fuel is in progress in the R1 head-end facility.
A total of 193 metric tons of uranium have been processed to date this year.
At the R7 vitrification facility, lines A, B and C are on standby.
A total of 160 canisters of glass have been produced to date this year.
On May 18th, in this same facility, during a ventilator change-over, a problem with a valve of the ventilation circuit created a drop in negative pressure in the procedure equipment. Following a circuit check, the negative pressure returned to normal after an hour.
This rise in pressure led to a release of aerosols from the UP2-800 stack, representing approximately two ten-thousandths of the plant s annual discharge authorisation. The consequence of this event for a person who might eventually have been exposed to this release is in the region of 1 microsievert, or one thousandth of the annual limit for population. For comparison, the dose due to natural radiation locally is 2700 micro sieverts per year. In the absence of consequence on the staff and installations, this event has been classed level 0 on the International Nuclear Event Scale (1)
UP3 plant :
At the UP3 plant, shearing fuel assemblies from Borssele (2) is in progress in the T1 head-end facility.
A total of 29 metric tons of uranium have been processed to date this year.
At the T7 vitrification facility, line B is in service, lines A and C are on standby.
A total of 116 canisters of glass have been produced to date this year.
(1) The INES counts seven levels
(2) Dutch PWR reactor (Pressurized water reactor)
5/28/2001