France declares its 2010 civilian plutonium and HEU stocks

France submitted to IAEA a declaration of its civilian plutonium and HEU holdings as of December 31, 2010 - INFCIRC/549/Add.5/15. According to the document, at the end of 2010 France had 47 tonnes of unirradiated separated plutonium stored at reprocessing plants, 5.5 tonnes held up in the fuel fabrication process, 27.1 tonnes in unirradiated MOX fuel, and 0.6 tonnes described as "held elsewhere" - it is the material that is held up in the reprocessing plant and located at research facilities. Of the total of 80.2 tonnes, 24.2 tonnes is foreign material. Less than 50 kg of French plutonium is held outside of the country. No material was in transit. At the end of 2009, France declared 81.8 tonnes of separated plutonium.

In addition, France estimates that about 104.6 tonnes of plutonium is contained in spent fuel stored at reactor sites, 133.2 tonnes - in spent fuel at the reprocessing plant, and 6.4 tonnes - in spent fuel "held elsewhere." The total amount of plutonium in spent fuel is therefore 244.2 tonnes.

The declaration also describes France's civilian HEU stock. At the end of 2010 France had 979 kg of HEU at fuel fabrication plants, 1,845 kg at civilian reactor sites, 423 kg at research facilities, 174 kg as irradiated HEU at civilian reactor sites, and 1,217 kg of irradiated HEU at other facilities.