BREAKING NEWS

France suspends work at nuclear fuel plants due to plutonium excess

French suspends work at

France's nuclear safety authority suspended work at a nuclear fuel plant after discovering it had underestimated plutonium levels. The ASN safety agency says the those oprerating the plant in Cadarache had at first failed to notice, then waited months to report several extra kilograms of plutonium in closed spaces used to manipulate radioactive material. The ASN said in a statement Wednesday "the incident had no consequences." But it issued a warning to plant operators and suspended work on dismantling the plant. The plant, which manufactured fuel for nuclear plants for 40 years, is being decommissioned. It was operated by French nuclear manufacturer Areva and belongs to the state Atomic Energy Commission, which reported the excess plutonium on October 6.