Night operation under high surveillance.

Supervised by numerous law enforcement vehicles, two trucks made the trip from the Orano factory in La Hague, 20 km from Cherbourg, to the port where they arrived around 3:45 a.m., transporting MOX, a fuel nuclear containing plutonium.

The shipment, which is in secure packaging, has Japan as its final destination.

Shortly after six hours, a first fuel package was loaded aboard the Pacific Egret, a boat from the specialized British shipping company PNTL (Pacific Nuclear Transport Limited) which has "long experience" in this type of transport, according to Orano.

During the previous transport of MOX from Cherbourg to Japan, in September 2021, the ship had left the port in the afternoon following the morning fuel loading.

“British armed police forces” are “on board”, during the maritime transport which should last a little more than two months, according to the nuclear group.

"We can perfectly" make a bomb, denounces Greenpeace

In a press release, environmental defense associations such as France Nature Environment (FNE) said they “oppose the return of plutonium” which they believe can “contribute to the proliferation of atomic weapons”.

"In a world today extremely destabilized, in crisis with Russia as well as with China and Taiwan, transporting such dangerous materials from the point of view of nuclear proliferation is completely irresponsible", had for his part estimated end of August Yannick Rousselet of Greenpeace France.

According to Orano, “the plutonium contained in the MOX is not the same as that used by the military”.

For Greenpeace, "we can perfectly" make a bomb with this plutonium.

Plutonium is "the greatest radiotoxic in the world", according to the organization.

Justice has, at the request of Orano, prohibited anyone from approaching the convoy under penalty of financial penalties.

According to Orano, MOX is a nuclear fuel that allows the recycling of spent fuel.

It is made from materials from fuels irradiated in power plants to produce electricity.

However, it only represents 10% of the fuel used in French power plants, according to the company.

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