AREVA ( back to the Home Page )

Log in
This page allows you to manage all your areva.com electronic subscriptions.
Register
Suscribe to the AREVA dashboard give you an access to newsletters, news, and email alerts from the Dialogue section...
FRENDE
Media Center

Eagle Rock enrichment plant

Depiction of the US enrichment facility, Eagle Rock

Activities and expertise/Enrichment records

AREVA will build a uranium enrichment plant in the United States, dubbed Eagle Rock. It will use the same industrial process as the Georges Besse II plant: centrifugation. The group is investing several billion dollars in the project in order to reinforce its position in the US market, currently experiencing strong growth.

  • Enrichment in the United States
    New York City

    The United States currently imports a large portion of its enriched uranium supplies.
    Therefore, it needs to develop its own enrichment capacity in order to: 

    • guarantee supplies for its power plants,
    • meet growing demands, and
    • ensure its energy independence.

    The United States relies on civil nuclear reactors to generate electricity without releasing pollution into the atmosphere. One fifth of the country's power comes from nuclear power plants, which need reliable uranium enrichment services.

    Securing access to supplies

    Currently, the United States is importing a significant percentage of its uranium enrichment services.

    The United States relies on civil nuclear reactors to generate electricity without releasing pollution into the atmosphere. One fifth of the country's power comes from nuclear power plants, which need reliable uranium enrichment services.

    The new nuclear power plants (the first in over 30 years) should start being commissioned in 2015. They will require reliable uranium enrichment services.Even without taking the new facilities into account, there is already a growing demand in the United States for the domestic energy with zero CO2 emissions supplied by the hundred or so nuclear plants currently in operation.

    The demand for enrichment services required to feed the reactors will soon eclipse the available reserves.

    Ensuring energy independence for the country

    Securing access to uranium enrichment services is critical to the country's energy independence and national security.

    The more the United States is able to perform enrichment services on its own soil, the less it will have to depend on services performed in other countries.

  • The Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility
    A Cascade of centrifuges

    Eagle Rock, AREVA's new uranium enrichment plant, will apply the centrifugation process, the latest in cutting-edge technology. It will be built in Bonneville county, near Idaho Falls in the US state of Idaho.

    The construction could begin in 2011 and operations as early as 2014.

    A plant with the latest in cutting-edge technology

    For the Eagle Rock enrichment plant, AREVA is applying a level of commitment and expertise comparable to the Georges Besse II project.

    Within the group, the AREVA NC Inc. subsidiary has created a dedicated project organization and is also managing the project.

    Eagle Rock will use the centrifugation technology developed by the Enrichment Technology Company Limited (ETC), in which AREVA owns 50% of the shares. The nuclear technology community currently considers ETC's technology to be the most efficient. Tried and tested, and safe, it has been used successfully for over 30 years in Europe.

    With the latest in cutting-edge technology, the Eagle Rock plant will enjoy an annual production capacity of approximately 3 million SWUs*, with the possibility of further boosting its capacity if market conditions are favorable. 

    * One SWU, or Separative Work Unit, is the unit of measurement used in the industry for enrichment services.

    The selection of the Idaho Falls site

    The site is located in Bonneville county, around 18 miles west of the town of Idaho Falls, near the Idaho National Laboratory.

    This site was selected following a technical, environmental, and socio-economic analysis conducted on various potential sites in the United States.

    Out of the many attractive sites, AREVA selected Idaho Falls for its close ties with the nuclear energy sector and its demonstrated willingness to welcome a new member into its community with the construction of the enrichment facility.

    AREVA is looking forward to a productive partnership which will contribute to diversity and long-term economic prosperity in the region. This new state-of-the-art facility represents a multi-billion dollar investment and is expected to create hundreds of highly skilled jobs during its construction phase and subsequent operating phase.

    ... and the name: "Eagle Rock"

    The new plant will be christened the "Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility". The group chose this name for two reasons:

    • The eagle is a symbol of American power.
    • "Eagle Rock" is the historical name of Idaho Falls, so it has special meaning for the local community.