European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 25, 1978, Darmstadt, Hesse                                How do you dismantle an atomic reactor by Jonathan Kandell new York times or the last 20 years Andre Cregut has built most of the important nuclear Power plants in France including the controversial Phoenix breeder reactor that rises amid the vineyards and medieval villages at Marcoules on the Bank of the Rhone River. But Cregut a robust 50-year-old Engineer has now decided to spend the rest of his Active years figuring out How to dismantle the nuclear plants be has erected. Tus to not a ease Al conscience stricken scientist converted to environmentalism. Quite the contrary Cregut is As convinced As Ever that nuclear Power Pitoau will continue to grow As an Essen tial source of Energy for the foreseeable future. But nobody has yet been Able to dismantle a Commer Cial atomic reactor. With dozens of nuclear plants reaching obsolescence throughout the world scientists and governments have begun facing up to the troubling problems of ridding the landscape of these dangerously radioactive structures and estimates for the clean up operations Are running into the billions of dollars. Reactors usually have a lifetime of 20 to 40 years. Like a other machine they May Wear out from use Suiter irreparable damage from accidents undergo repeated breakdowns that become too expensive to repair. Or simply be rendered obsolete by new technological break Cregut who Heads the French government s program to deaf with obsolete nuclear installations. Do we have the moral rights to leave these plants in place knowing that it will take hundreds perhaps thousands of years before they cease to be dangerously radioactive this question is being asked by other governments Aswell. Last year in a report to Congress the comptroller general of the United states criticized nuclear agencies and private Industry Lor ignoring the problem of protecting the Public from the hazards of radiation lingering at nuclear facilities which Are no longer operating in May the european economic Community proposed five year program on the problems involved in dismantling nuclear reactors. And the International atomic Energy Agency in Vienna has been calling attention to the Hazard at least since 1875.in France it was Cregut who first proposed to the government in 1974 that it Start a program to Deal with Obs already 20 nuclear Power plants have been closed to the Western Industrial Ted world 15 in a United states and in Western Europe including to France. By the year 2000, there will be mor Eithan 1001 inactive Tomic plants. In addition there Are hundreds of Smauzer Clear installations research accelerators fuel enrichment and reprocessing plants Navy. Clear Medicine facilities _ that have ceased to oper to of them will remain radioactive for hundreds or Wen thousands of  Many cases these closed nuclear installations pose i greater threat than when they were in use. Their Secu a systems the anti radiation Shields. Too and detection devices _ have been own if they Are guarded perpetually by s a they Are bound to deteriorate and eventually leak a of activity even if we entombed these plants Bereis w Way to i by certain that after 500 or 600 years Lei casing will be physically maintained or nuclear Power Plant builder Andre Cregut wants to work now on dismantling them. Tuesday july 25, 1978 ice atomic  had just completed directing the construction of the Phoenix breeder a Type of reactor that is the focus of controversy Between West european governments and president Carter who opposes it because it uses and produces plutonium which can be used for weapons. My Boss congratulated me for handling the construction of Phoenix so Well said Cregut. I told him that i hoped he would congratulate me again when 1 figured out How to take it apart  Cregut then set about amassing studies of the Phoenix Plant during the next four years. The fruit of his labors is in a room next to his office that has aisles of shelves from floor to ceiling and that he Hopes includes the data necessary to dismantle the breeder reactor. Cregut s plan follows roughly the lines proposed brother experts Mot Balling. Entombment and Complete  the United states nuclear Plant owners Are Given an option of any one of these methods to Deal with their obsolete installations. Cregut does not believe that the Hazard ends until Complete dismantlement takes  Mot Balling the reactor is welded shut with steel and the facility is placed under permanent guard. This has been done at the Marcoules go Plant a military reactor that produced plutonium for French nuclear weapon until it was shut Down 10 years ago. But Marcoules go has developed cracks leaks Radia Tion and according to Cregut will have to be dismantled  involves encasing the reactor in con Crete. But it also requires permanent monitoring and Security Over centuries. Dismantling involves the Complete removal of the reactor and the rest of the Plant and the restoration of toe site for other activity. No one has yet attempted it with a commercial size nuclear reactor and even in the few cases involving smaller installations it has proved a difficult and expensive taks. I think in this respect France has an advantage Over the United states or West Germany said Cregut. Here the government owns the nuclear plants and has Clear responsibility to Deal with them when they become obsolete. In the United states and West Germany a private company can always go bankrupt and then what Hap pens with its obsolete reactors How can they be monitored for future generations " by the time i retire i want to have a Clear conscience that everything i built can be taken apart  Cregut said. I Don t want people to think of me like that Genius who invented the plastic bottles and never figured out How to get rid of the damned  the stars and stripes Page 13