MELOX gets green light to up MOX output

Press release

September 04, 2003

In a decree issued on 3 September 2003, the French government gave COGEMA authorization to increase annual production of heavy metal at MELOX from 101 to 145 tons.

As required under the licensing procedure, a public inquiry was conducted in the 11 townships nearest the plant between 8 January and 8 March 2003.

The purpose of the increase is simply to make better use of plant capacity by adding workstations. It will not involve any extension or significant modification of the installations or entail any change in discharge authorizations.

This is a step in COGEMA's strategy of shifting all MOX production to the MELOX plant, the most recent facility, which meets the most stringent security, safety and environmental protection standards.
MELOX will thus take over the MOX fabrication of the Cadarache plant, where commercial production stopped on 31 July. This solution will allow some of the personnel from Cadarache to move to identical jobs at MELOX. It will also enable COGEMA to meet commercial commitments to its German clients, whose MOX fuel was fabricated at Cadarache.

MELOX must now receive authorization from regulatory authorities to implement the decree. The go-ahead will be given following an examination of the final security report from the plant, which was sent to them recently.

Press Contact
Karine Medeleff
Phone : +33 (0) 4 66 90 66 63
Fax : +33 (0) 4 66 90 64 07