AT1 Pilot Facility ATENA remote dismantling machine. The AT-1 (Atelier de Traitement) pilot facility, situated near Cherbourg on the AREVA NC La Hague site, was built to reprocess fuels from fast breeder reactors. The plant operated for 10 years, from 1969 to 1979. Final closure in 1979 was followed by a 12month campaign of plant wash out and an 18 month period of systematic decontamination of the circuits. The ATENA machine comprised an 11 metre remote controlled telescopic multi-jointed arm, which could retract into a very thick steel hood. The hood worked both as containment and as biological protection for the operators. The tip of the telescopic arm could be equipped with a cutting tool or with an MA 23 M or RD 500 type remote manipulator. On completion of the project, the ATENA machine was disposed of as waste.