Uranium enrichment services (SWU)
To supply reliable enrichment services to our customers
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The enrichment activities consist in increasing the uranium-235 content of natural uranium (initially 0.7% in uranium ore) up to the level specified by its utility customers:
- ranging from 3 to 5% (LEU – Low Enriched Uranium) depending on the reactor type and mode of operation.
- more than 5% to meet also changes in demand such as
- LEU+ to improve current nuclear fleet performance
- HALEU (High Assay Low Enriched Uranium) to feed new advanced reactors
Enrichment is a key step for long-term security of supply.
The enrichment activities is carried out at the Georges Besse II plant (Tricastin - France).
Molecules of gaseous uranium hexafluoride (UF6) undergo isotopic separation to achieve the desired enrichment. Orano provides the enrichment service to its customers, which generally retain ownership of their material.
Orano is also working on the implementation of uranium production enriched to more than 5%.
Located on the Tricastin site, the Georges Besse II plant is the largest enrichment complex in Europe. It uses the most effective and proven centrifuge uranium enrichment technology available to date. The plant has an annual capacity of 7.5 million SWU, for a global market of around 50 million SWU. This nominal capacity was reached at the end of 2016, and the plant’s production has matched expectations since then.
On the strength of its unique integrated industrial platform and some of the most modern facilities in the world, with the Georges Besse II enrichment plant, Orano is recognized across the entire market for its technical skills and its processes at the cutting edge of innovation.
- Guaranteeing reliable, long-term security of supply
- Competitiveness
- Best processes and practices in terms of safety
- Minimum environmental footprint
