Ensuring Quality and Safety

At the time of glass production

The relevant specification for residues sets the parameters to be met when they are manufactured and has been approved by the French Ministries in charge of Industry and Environment. This specification has also been approved by the Government Authorities in each of the countries which have their spent fuel reprocessed at La Hague.

To guarantee that the glass produced complies with the specifications accepted by the Safety Authorities, COGEMA has set up very stringent Quality Assurance and Control programmes (QA/QC). These programmes particularly stress the quality of the glass components and the process control during the glass production phase, as well as quality control.

In parallel, all COGEMA's customers have contracted with Bureau Véritas(1) with the responsibility of controlling the operations, with the checking of the Quality Assurance programmes and with the ability to certify the compliance of each canister with COGEMA specifications.

Moreover, ANDRA (National Agency for the Management of Radioactive Waste) is licensed to access all operating documents and to perform audits in the vitrification and destorage facilities, in order to verify the quality of all the vitrified residues produced in La Hague and their compliance with specifications.

ANDRA reports to the DSIN which has also assigned it the role of interfacing with the customers Authorities (Science and Technology Agency in the case of Japan).

For each canister of vitrified residues produced at La Hague, a complete set of documents constituting the Quality Report is provided. For the customers, it includes the data relating to the process and to the controls performed on each canister, as well as the certificate delivered by Bureau Véritas.

Before shipment

At the DRV (destorage facility), a final inspection is made on each canister. It includes a visual inspection, dose rate measurements and surface activity control.

These inspections are also monitored by Bureau Véritas. Subsequently, the canisters are loaded into the transport cask in the presence of the customer representatives.

After loading, the transport cask is examined to ensure its compliance with transport regulations: dose rate, surface contamination, surface temperature, etc.

The customer representatives witness the operations and formally accept the canisters and the loaded casks for return. Representatives of the Japanese Authorities (STA: Science and Technology Agency) also witness the operations.

Reception by the interim storage facility

The Japanese utilities are required to implement measures so that the returned vitrified residues meet the standards and requirements for safe storage at the Rokkasho-Mura facility. The competent Authorities have to validate the measures implemented by the utilities.

Furthermore, JNFL will conduct its own control on the canisters for the purpose of managing the canisters inside its facility.


(1) This French company offers services for security and Quality Assurance controls, in different fields such as industry, environment...

Release: December 1998