Finistère: 2,000 sailors mobilized to simulate a nuclear accident at the Île Longue base

This is an exercise To avoid disturbing the population, the authorities will not activate a siren and will not carry out any confinement

A French nuclear submarine under maintenance at Naval Group on the Long Island base in Finistère. — Role/SIPA

The dreaded scenario will be pushed to bottom. This Wednesday and Thursday, the base of Long Island where are secretly guarded several French nuclear submarines will be the scene of a major security exercise. Nestled on the very wild Crozon peninsula (Finistère), this French military base is closely watched and protected. The exercise that will be conducted there for two days to “verify the ability of civil and military nuclear operators and public authorities to prevent all forms of risk that may affect people and the environment”.

According to France 3 Bretagne, the disaster scenario will unfold around a boiler room accident in one of the nuclear submarines. About 2,000 sailors and more than a hundred gendarmes will be involved in this exercise. The latter aims to; prepare local and national civilian and military teams to a possible nuclear incident. The prefecture will be able to test its new device there. FR-Alert which allows the population to be informed of the protective measures decided on and the behavior instructions to be followed. adopt. No evacuation or containment of the population is planned. As for the alert siren, it will not be triggered.

Approximately 2,000 people work daily on the military base housing four ballistic missile submarines (SNLE). This highly strategic site is under constant surveillance.