France modernises nuclear monitoring system on Moruroa

9:53 am on 22 June 2018

France says it has modernised the entire surveillance system used to monitor its former nuclear weapons test site in French Polynesia.

In a statement, the French defence ministry said it cost almost $US120 million to install the system, dubbed Telsite 2, which is expected to last 20 years.

View of the advanced recording base PEA "Denise" on Moruroa atoll, where French forces have conducted nuclear weapon tests until 1996.

Remnants of the testing infrastructure on Moruroa atoll Photo: AFP

The monitoring of the atoll was begun in the 1980s to help issue warnings to nearby islands in case Moruroa collapsed because of damage caused by the atomic blasts.

The statement said about 80 people have worked for three years to upgrade the installation.

Telsite 2 was inaugurated this week but won't be operational before August 23rd.

The public was advised this week that the test sites were stable and that a collapse was not expected.

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