General presentation

Four additional activities

Exploration 

• The business: exploration, with the aim of finding new uranium deposits. Prospection is carried out in successive stages: a geological study of the region, examination of aerial or satellite photographs, geophysical techniques, radioactivity measurements on the ground and chemical studies of the soil and water. 
• Figures: AREVA invested almost 55 million euros in prospection activities in 2009. It takes 10-15 years to discover a new uranium deposit. 

Extraction 

• The business: ore extraction in open-pit or underground mines or by drilling. AREVA mining experts also regularly test and implement innovative technologies that improve both the performance of existing operations and employee safety.
• Figures: with 208,645 metric tons of reserves held by the group in 2009, AREVA is in a position to provide its customers with uranium for nearly 20 years without any further prospection. 

Processing 

• The business: the transformation of uranium ore into a concentrated solid known as "yellow cake" (due to both the way it looks and its color). Ore processing operations include crushing and grinding, dissolving, purification, washing and ultimately precipitation and drying.
• Figures: "yellow cake" is approximately 75% uranium (750 kilograms per ton). 

Site rehabilitation 

• The businesses: disassembly, reclamation and revegetation of mining sites at the end of their service life, strictly complying with current environmental standards and in consultation with local communities. Furthermore, AREVA keeps these sites under radiological and environmental monitoring for at least 10 years.
• Figures: since the beginning of the group’s mining operations, over 400 million euros have been invested in the dismantling of facilities and the reclamation of sites in 13 mining sectors in France, Gabon, the United States and Canada. AREVA keeps these sites under radiological and environmental monitoring. Almost 10,000 measurements are taken in France every year.