MOX FUELS FABRICATION AND EXPORT: HIGHLY SAFEGUARDED ACTIVITIES

Recycling is the only way to reduce the plutonium stockpile and now the only available reactors for this operation are LWRs; years of experience in several countries, mainly in Europe have demonstrated the feasibility of plutonium use in these reactors. MOX fuels fabrication is concentrated on in a few countries of western Europe, France mainly but also Belgium and in the future the United Kingdom. Safeguarding the facilities is an activity well mastered by Euratomit is based on the continuous follow up of nuclear materials for quantities and timeliness purposes. The production capacity of the existing facilities exceeds the needs og the above countries and MOX fuels will be exported in other countries that have seperated plutonium in France and United Kingdom. Exporting MOX fuels, a better solution from the proliferation viewpoint than plutonium export, entails specific measures from the safeguards viewpoint to ensure the verification prior to the loading in transport containers and the continuity of knowledge during the operations proceding the the transport. Euratom and AIEA inspectors work jointly. With respect to Japan, MOX fuels are transfered from the fabrication facilityto the Cape De La Hague facility for a further transfer into the shipment cask in order to optimize the transport by sea between COGEMA and the oversea facility... Plutonium content of MOX fuels is verified at the loading facility and seals are affixed at two levels, inside the cask. During the transfer of the assemblies in the cask that can last a few days, continuity of knowledge is ensured by several means. Once the cask is full, a further verification is performed by the inspectorates and the cask is closed. Additional seals are then affixed on the Shock absorber.