First quarter of 2003

Hundreds of plutonium transports in France: a WISE-Paris report unveils this high risk activity

WISE-Paris, 21 February 2003

[Posted 24/02/2003]

While it has lost all justification, the French plutonium industry still imposes a network of high risk transport on the entire population. A report commissioned to WISE-Paris was published by Greenpeace on 19 February 2003, on the set of an outstanding operation when members of the organisation immobilized a plutonium transport truck.

This new WISE-Paris report throws light on the scale of transport of plutonium in France's nuclear industry, an activity involving quantities of high risk materials often unknown to the public. The study is a significantly extended update of the one carried out by WISE-Paris in 1995 for the Plutonium Forum, entitled "Les transports de l’industrie du plutonium". It was motivated by important developments in the French plutonium industry and the publication of numerous data concerning transport activities since 1995.
The 2003 study presents, in particular, all of the flows of plutonium criss-crossing France every year, as well as analysis of the risks associated with this particular transport activity. Putting these data into perspective in terms of a rapidly and permanently changing political and industrial context, and a description of the regulatory framework within which shipments of plutonium take place, serve as a guide and source of reference to help readers better understand the issues.

Main results of the report include the first complete estimation of the transports of plutonium in France, and the evaluation of the potential consequences in three major accidents scenarios.

Contact :
Yves Marignac, deputy manager of WISE-Paris, coordinator of the study.
Tel. : +33 (0)1 45.65.47.93
Fax : +33 (0)1 45.80.48.58
E-mail : ymarignac@questions-energies.org

Summary of the study , PDF file:
030219TransPuMAJ-Summary.pdf (12p., 2424Ko)

Report, PDF file in french only:
030219TransPuRapport.pdf (71p., 725Ko)

Appendices, PDF file in french only:
030219TransPuRapport_Annexes.pdf (29p., 1740Ko)

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