Overview
- The CNRS-led L’Atalante mission has geolocated more than 1,800 radioactive waste barrels at depths over 4,500 meters off the Galician coast.
- Remote-operated vehicle UlyX has executed sonar mapping and recovered sediment cores and biological traps to assess potential contamination.
- Historical records show eight European nations dumped nuclear waste in the Atlantic trench between the 1940s and 1980s, totaling an estimated 140,000–220,000 barrels.
- MEPs from PPdeG, PSdeG and BNG have formally questioned the European Commission about its prior knowledge of the dumping and its involvement in the current mission.
- Spain’s Nuclear Safety Council reports no detectable rise in coastal radiation and maintains ongoing coordination with French researchers on long-term solutions.