Within a nuclear fuel production plant, a leak ignited with hydrogen (H2) occurred on a semitrailer hooked up to a pressure reducing station while awaiting a transfer. The alert was sounded by personnel of the company cafeteria located nearby. The external rescue crews arriving at the site 15 min later reported a very sizeable gas leak ignited at the rear of the semitrailer, near the vertical bottle storage area. The excess red-white heat at the end of the semitrailer platform raised fears over deterioration of the bottle valves. Moreover, the pressure reducing station to which the semitrailer was connected (the former station was being used as an emergency centre) was the origin of many ignited leaks. Four other semitrailers were positioned at the level of the transfer station hooked up to a second pressure reducing station (new one): 1 was connected and in a wait mode, 1 not connected, and 2 connected and being serviced.

The first measures undertaken consisted of cooling, by flooding all bottle heads on the leaking semitrailer, and removing the other semitrailers. In addition, the hydrogen production equipment was shut off in order to isolate the distribution network. Two hours later, with the pressure inside bottles on the damaged semitrailers having dropped, rescue personnel could get close enough to close the valves.

Lightning would have caused the accident.

The definitive elimination of the damaged pressure reducing station (emergency centre) would be used to resume distribution network operations as of the next day. All of the semitrailer connection studs could be refurbished in a way that offsets the risk of destruction by heat.