Nuclear fuel fabrication

AREVA Pierrelatte is involved in various industrial stages in the nuclear power cycle:

• transformation, via defluorination, of depleted uranium produced during the enrichment process into uranium oxide (U₃O₈), which is stable and suitable for storage
• transformation, via denitration, of uranium recovered during treatment of used fuel

It also carries out other activities: uranium transport container maintenance, dismantlement of gaseous diffusion plants, and provision of services to other on-site facilities (security, medical services, laboratory work, nuclear waste packaging).

The facility employs 942 persons

COMURHEX Pierrelatte transforms uranium into uranium hexafluoride (UF₆) for power companies throughout the world. Today, the UF₆ chemical form of uranium is used in all enrichment processes, which is the step in the fuel cycle following conversion. The fluorine required in the conversion process is produced on site.

COMURHEX Pierrelatte has used its advanced knowledge and expertise to develop a wide array of fluorine products outside of the nuclear sector which are used in the electronics and automobile industries.

The facility employs 346 persons

The Georges Besse plant operated by EURODIF Production converts natural uranium into a form that can be used in nuclear power plants. In its naturally occurring state, uranium is made up of two isotopes: uranium 235 (0.7%) and uranium 238. For proper functioning, nuclear power reactors require uranium with a 3% to 5% content of uranium 235. That is why uranium must first be enriched.

Two industrial procedures are used throughout the world: centrifugation and gaseous diffusion.The latter technique is used by EURODIF Production to separate uranium 238 from uranium 235. This gives us enriched uranium and depleted uranium.

The facility employs 1130 persons

SET (Société d’Enrichissement du Tricastin = Tricastin Enrichment Company), is the project owner and operator of the Georges Besse II plant, currently under construction on the site, which will eventually replace the EURODIF Production plant.

For its uranium enrichment operations, the Georges-Besse II plant use centrifugation, a technology that has been tried and tested for over 30 years in Europe. The Georges Besse II plant comprise two units: North and South. Its modular design will facilitate a phased transition.

The SOCATRI facilities were originally built to perform surface treatment and assembly of wrought parts used in the manufacture of uranium enrichment columns for the Georges Besse plant. Today, SOCRATI's operations include:

• maintenance and disassembly of nuclear materials
• treatment of nuclear and industrial discharge produced during these operations and during those of other AREVA Tricastin facilities before they are dumped back into the ecosystem
• nuclear waste management and treatment in preparation for its authorized method of disposal, including waste from minor producers, such as hospitals and laboratories, on behalf of ANDRA.

The facility employs 247 persons

The FBFC plant in Pierrelatte produces components for nuclear fuel assemblies (assembly structure grids, control clusters, and plugs) for PWRs (Pressurized Water Reactors) used in power generation.

The CERCA company is also present on the Pierrelatte site. Inside its Activity Standard Laboratory (French acronym: LEA), it produces sealed sources of radioactivity for use in research, industry, and nuclear medicine applications.

A new workshop designed for the fabrication of rods, called "primary sources", was set up in early 2008. These rods are needed during the commissioning phase for a new reactor.

The two facilities employ 132 persons