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Operations

The Front End Business Group's markets

Compressor of a diffuser in an enrichment plant

In 2009, more than one third of the Business Group's revenue came from France. The business break-down varies considerably in these different markets from one Business Unit to another, but the BG has substantial revenue in Europe outside France, in Asia-Pacific and in North and South America.

The Conversion market

Worldwide conversion requirements were 60,100 metric tons per year in 2009, including

18,000 metric tons in Western and Central Europe,
7,200 metric tons in Eastern and South-East Europe,
20,000 metric tons in North America,
14,900 metric tons in Asia.

With 12,300 MT of UF₆ produced in 2009, AREVA is a major global player in uranium conversion services.

In 2009, many long-term contracts were signed with Japanese, Chinese, American and European power companies. These contracts cover periods extending up to as far as 2024. They testify to the geographical diversification of the group's range of conversion services.

video

AREVA strengthens its footing in Japan

In April of 2008, Anne Lauvergeon closed several contracts for a total value of 2 billion Euros, in the Front End of the fuel cycle in Japan. AREVA’s cooperation with Mitsubishi has also been strengthened. Detail of agreements with a country where the group has been present for more than 30 years.

The Enrichment market

Available global enrichment capacity is on the order of 50 million SWU per year (separative work units, or SWU, are proportionate to the quantity of uranium processed and are indicative of the production of an enrichment plant). The group has nearly 22% of that capacity.

In addition to EDF, its biggest customer, the Enrichment business has close to 30 utility customers divided among the United States, Europe and Asia, representing the supply of a hundred reactors worldwide.

AREVA has the largest share of the Western European market.
In the United States, the enrichment market is growing considerably. The group is strengthening its positions there, particularly via the construction of the Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility in Idaho. The American electric utility companies have already demonstrated their interest in the future plant by reserving a share of the plant’s output. Most of the plant’s production capacity has thus been reserved over a very long period, ensuring the profitability of the investment.
In Asia, new reactor construction (particularly in China and India) is often accompanied by mid-term and long-term supply contracts. That market thus offers attractive growth prospects.

UF6 conversion price indices

The Fuel market

The target market for the Fuel business is the fuel assembly market for pressurized water reactors (PWR) – excluding the Russian-designed VVER – and boiling water reactors (BWR), as well as for research reactors. AREVA has nearly 40% of this market.

The global market (excluding the ex-USSR) over the 3-year period 2008-2010 will stabilize at around 6200 tons annually (uranium or plutonium contained in the fuel assemblies). The United States represents 36% of the market, Europe 35% and Asia 29%. AREVA is the leading supplier in Europe and the main challenger on the American market.

Over the years, the AREVA group has supplied a total of more than 189,000 fuel assemblies to its customers, two-thirds of them PWR and one-third BWR. Thus, 131 of the world’s 306 operating PWR and BWR reactors (excluding Russian-designed VVER reactors) as of the end of 2009 routinely used AREVA fuel.

Of these 131 reactors powered with AREVA fuel, two thirds are AREVA-designed reactors, thus demonstrating the synergies between the Fuel business and the Reactors and Services Business Group.

Solidly established in Europe, the United States and Japan, the Business Unit has set a goal of building market share and strengthening profitability by maintaining its position in the United States and expanding its positions in Asia and in new nuclear markets.

For example, in 2008 and 2009, it signed several strategic agreements to expand its operations:

in Kazakhstan, AREVA is joining with the mining company Kazatomprom to create a fuel marketing joint venture called Ifastar. We have two objectives: to sell integrated batches of fuel, and technical and economic assessment of a dedicated fuel fabrication line;
in Japan, AREVA, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), Mitsubishi Material Corporation (MMC) and Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) signed a four-way agreement to establish a joint company specialized in nuclear fuel;
AREVA also became a 33.3% shareholder of Zircoproducts, the largest Japanese fabricator of zirconium cladding tubes for nuclear power plants. The Japanese firm is the leading fabricator of cladding tubes in its market, with a market share of close to 75%.

Reactors loaded with AREVA fuel

Legend:
** Local manufacturer using AREVA technology.
NB 1:
P = Pressurized Water Reactor
B = Boiling Water Reactor
(-/-) = Number of reactors supplied with fuel by AREVA / Total number of reactors in service.

NB 2: Besides the PWRs and BWRs in operation worldwide presented on this map, the light water line also includes PWRs and BWRs that do not use AREVA fuels and are located in Mexico (2B), Slovenia (1P), South Korea (16P), India (2B) and Pakistan (1P). Sources: IAEA, 2009.