Accident at French nuclear waste treatment facility

September 12, 2011

Earlier today, an accident took place at the Centraco radioactive waste treatment facility located in the south of France.

The explosion, which caused the death of one worker and left four injured, occurred in a furnace dedicated to melting contaminated metals.

The French nuclear regulator, the Autorité de sûreté nucléaire (ASN), clarified in a press release that the event did not involve any radiological release and that no actions were required to protect the population. Inspections will be carried out to better understand why the furnace exploded.

Canada does not have any nuclear facility authorized to melt contaminated metals. As per normal practice, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission will analyze the findings of the inspections to determine whether lessons can be drawn to further enhance the safety of Canada’s nuclear facilities.

For more information:

• ASN press release
• IRSN press release (in French only)
• Virtual tour of the plant (source: Socodei)