A new age for enrichment in France

Centrifugation: a high-performance technology

Since 1979, the Georges Besse plant, operated by AREVA's subsidiary EURODIF, has been enriching uranium via gaseous diffusion. After exploring various options for replacing the plant, AREVA ultimately opted for centrifugation technology, currently the process offering the highest performance.

Centrifugation consists in spinning a cylindrical container filled with UF₆ at extremely high speeds. Under the effect of the centrifugal force, the heavier molecules (U-238) concentrate near the outside while the lighter molecules (U-235) move towards the middle. This molecule separation process is repeated inside a set of centrifuges arranged in series, called a "cascade".

This technology enables enrichment of natural uranium or uranium derived from treatment of spent fuel in a manner that is reliable, efficient, and environmentally-friendly.

Uranium enrichment: an essential step

Enrichment is an essential step in the front-end of the fuel cycle. "Raw" uranium ore cannot actually be used directly to produce nuclear fuel. It must first undergo enrichment.

Uranium is primarily made up of two very similar kinds of atoms called isotopes: uranium-238 (99.3%) and uranium-235 (0.7%). U-235, occurring in sparse quantities in natural uranium, is the only molecule that can be used to produce energy via fission in light-water nuclear reactors. To ensure proper functioning, it is imperative that uranium-235 levels be between 3% and 5%. So it is necessary to enrich the uranium, i.e. to bring the level of U-235 from 0.7% up to between 3% and 5%.

Industrial agreements between AREVA and URENCO

On November 24, 2003, AREVA and URENCO signed an agreement in which AREVA acquired a 50% holding in the Enrichment Technology Company (ETC). This company designs and manufactures centrifuges for use in centrifugation plants. It will serve as an exclusive technological research and development division for the two partners.

In order to take effect, the agreement of November 24, 2003 was subject to two conditions precedent:

• The first one was satisfied on October 6, 2004, when the European Commission approved formation of a joint venture between AREVA and URENCO, finding that competition on the uranium enrichment market would not be threatened
• The second one hinged on the entry into force of an intergovernmental agreement between France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands The four countries signed a treaty in Cardiff on July 12, 2005. All four countries subsequently ratified the treaty, completing the process in June 2006.

As of July 3, 2006, AREVA holds a 50% stake in ETC, thus securing access to centrifugation enrichment technology.

This way, AREVA and URENCO remain competitors in the enrichment services market.

ETC remains the sole proprietor of the technology, and makes it available to its customers, one of which is AREVA.

The players and their territories in a competitive market

Four major players account for over 95% of the total available uranium enrichment production capacity.

• AREVA relies on EURODIF's Georges Besse plant, located on the Tricastin site in the South of France, with a nominal capacity of 10.8 MSWUs. The Georges Besse II plant, commissioned in 2009, will gradually take over the current plant. In 2007, AREVA also decided to begin construction of an enrichment plant in the United States. Located in the state of Idaho, the Eagle Rock plant, with a nominal capacity of 3 MSWUs, could begin production by 2014.
• URENCO owns three centrifugation plants in Europe with a total installed capacity of 11 MSWUs.
• USEC has a gaseous diffusion enrichment plant in the US with a nominal capacity of 11.3 SWUs, but which is limited to 8 SWUs for administrative reasons.
• AtomEnergoProm (AEP) runs four centrifugation enrichment facilities in Russia. Their total operating capacity is estimated at over 20 MSWUs. The Russian enrichment services are marketed internationally by TENEX.

More modest enrichment capacities are also present in China, Japan, and Brazil. In addition to the above, the market is also fed by "secondary" sources, such as highly-enriched uranium (HEU) dilution, RepU and MOX recycling, and reduction of stocks.

* MSWU (Millions of SWUs): Unit used to measure the work required to separate uranium into two fractions of different isotopic content. The amount of SWUs produced per year is used as a measure of a facility's uranium enrichment capacity.

A natural location

The Georges Besse II plant is located on the nuclear site in Tricastin, lying on the border between the Drôme and Vaucluse departments in southeast France. This new enrichment plant belonging to the AREVA group will comprise two enrichment units with a production capacity of 7.5 million SWUs, which could potentially be boosted up to 11 million SWUs*.

The nuclear industry has been present at this unique European industrial complex since 1960, bringing together the following activities:

• uranium conversion, enrichment, defluorination, fuel production, and cleanup (all handled by AREVA)
• nuclear power generation (handled by EDF)

* SWU: Unit used to measure the work required to separate uranium into two fractions of different isotopic content. The amount of SWUs produced per year is used as a measure of a facility's uranium enrichment capacity.

A modular design for a phased transition

Thanks to the modular design of the new enrichment plant, consisting of two enrichment units, its operations will be gradually phased in to ensure a smooth transition from the current plant to Georges Besse II.

Each enrichment unit will feature:

• a Centrifuge Assembly Building (CAB)
• a building accommodating the offices and the control room (aka: Centrifuge Utility Building or CUB)
• adjoining structures for purification, supply, and withdrawal of uranium hexafluoride (UF₆)
• the modules connecting all the halls accommodating the centrifugal cascades

The first unit (South unit) will be located in the Bollène district and the second unit (North unit) will be located in the Pierrelatte district.

The South unit should begin producing its first SWUs* during the first half of 2010. The first cascade has been operational since May 2009.

The entire plant will be fully operational by 2018.

* SWU: Unit used to measure the work required to separate uranium into two fractions of different isotopic content. The amount of SWUs produced per year is used as a measure of a facility's uranium enrichment capacity.

The Georges Besse II Plant: who is doing what?

• SET(Société d’Enrichissement du Tricastin = Tricastin Enrichment Company), a subsidiary of AREVA, is the project owner and future operator of the Georges Besse II plant.

• AREVA handles marketing of the SWUs produced by the Georges Besse II plant.

• Project management is provided by SGN (Société Générale des Techniques Nouvelles = General Company for New Techniques), a subsidiary of AREVA. SGN coordinates the various companies working on the Georges Besse II construction site.

• ETC, the owner of the centrifugation process, will also supply the centrifuges used in the production equipment.

• ET France, its subsidiary on the Tricastin site, is in charge of their installation and commissioning.

Gaseous diffusion

This is the technology applied at EURODIF's Georges Besse plant and by USEC in the United States.

Uranium in the form of gaseous UF₆ (uranium hexafluoride) is introduced into a diffuser containing tubes with porous walls, which are the diffusion barriers.

The lighter uranium-235 molecules move faster, and therefore strike and pass through the porous wall more often. The enriched gas is suctioned over into the next diffuser. In this way, the uranium is further enriched, albeit very slightly, each time it passes through a diffuser. In order to attain commercial-grade concentrations of uranium-235, the process must be repeated up to 1,400 times.

Centrifugation

Centrifugation consists in introducing uranium in the form of gaseous uranium hexafluoride (UF₆)into a cylindrical container spinning at very high speeds. Under the effect of the centrifugal force, the heavier UF₆ molecules (U-238) concentrate near the outside while the lighter molecules (U-235) move towards the middle.

This simple molecule separation step is repeated inside a set of centrifuges arranged in series, called a "cascade".

Advances made in the late 1980s in the resistance of carbon fiber materials paved the way for centrifugation to gradually gain dominance over gaseous diffusion.

Used by URENCO in Western Europe, AtomEner­goProm (AEP) in Russia, JNFL in Japan, and CNNC in China, this process will also be used in the future Georges Besse II plant.

The benefits of this technology

Today, fully mastered and with a track record spanning over 30 years, centrifugation offers several key benefits. With this technology, the Georges Besse II Plant:

• will consume far less power at the same output level because centrifugation consumes 50 times less power than gaseous diffusion
• will not require any water samples to be taken from the Rhône for its cooling system
• will process relatively small amounts of material at any given time (less than 10 metric tons of UF₆, compared to 3,000 metric tons with Georges Besse), and will operate under atmospheric pressure, which means the Georges Besse II plant will enjoy even higher ratings in terms of safety
• will be naturally integrated with the countryside, thanks to the fact that it will only be half as tall as the buildings of the existing plant and will eliminate noise pollution

Construction by stages

After obtaining the necessary regulatory authorizations, the first site development work (site preparation followed by ground consolidation and earthworks) was launched in early 2006 on the installation site for the first unit.

Once the civil engineering work began in September 2006, the construction of the centrifuge assembly building (CAB) was one of the project's number-one priorities.

In accordance with the initial production schedule, the CAB was officially handed over by AREVA to ETC on February 15, 2008.

After installing the various equipment constituting the centrifuge assembly line, the first centrifuges were assembled and tested using UF₆ over the course of 2008.

The civil engineering work on the CUB building, which houses in particular the control room, is now complete.

The civil engineering work on the second unit (North unit) began in early 2009.

The modular design of the plant will enable a smooth transition between the current Georges Besse plant and Georges Besse II, which produced its first SWUs* in 2009.

* SWU: Unit used to measure the work required to separate uranium into two fractions of different isotopic content. The amount of SWUs produced per year is used as a measure of a facility's uranium enrichment capacity.

Provisional project schedule

South Unit

• November 2005: start of earthworks
• September 2006: start of civil engineering work
• 2009 : initial production of South unit
• 2015 : South unit reaches full production capacity (4.3 MSWU)

North Unit

• September 2008: start of earthworks
• March 2009: start of civil engineering work
• 2011 : initial production of North unit
• 2016 : North unit reaches full production capacity (3.2 MSWU)

Some key project dates

• November 24, 2003: Industrial agreement signed between AREVA and URENCO (submitted for application with two conditions precedent).
• 2003 - 2005 : Study, pre-project, design.
• September 1 - October 22, 2004: Public debate.
• February 21, 2005: Following the public debate, AREVA opts to pursue with the Georges Besse II project.
• January 2006: Start of preliminary work.
• March 27, 2006: Construction permit obtained.
• June 12 - July 21, 2006: Public Inquiry relating to the Georges Besse II project.
• July 3, 2006: Entry into force of the industrial agreement of November 24, 2003; AREVA becomes a 50% shareholder in ETC.
• July 12, 2006: Ratification of the Cardiff agreement.
• September 2006: Start of civil engineering work on the South unit.
• April 2007: Authorization order obtained for the foundation of the Georges Besse II BNI.
• August 2007: End of civil engineering work on the first tranche of the South unit (CAB, CUB, and first module).
• February 15, 2008:  Handover of CAB building to ETC.
• June 2008: GDF Suez takes a stake in the SET (Société d’Enrichissement du Tricastin) holding company.
• August 29, 2008: Commissioning authorization for the CAB.
• December 22, 2008 - January 30, 2009: Public inquiry relating to changes to the authorization order for the foundation of the Georges Besse II BNI.
• March 2009: Start of civil engineering work on the North unit. Start of installation of the centrifuges in the 1st module of the South unit.
• March 30, 2009: The Japanese companies Kansai and Sojitz take a stake in the SET (Société d’Enrichissement du Tricastin) holding company.

A site in sync with its territory

The Georges Besse II plant follows in the tradition of the EURODIF plant, and is intended to leverage the synergies with the other activities on the site. The siting of Georges Besse II at Tricastin, indeed, guarantees the sustained economic activity of the site and the successful integration of an activity with a local presence dating back over 40 years.

Many local and regional companies came forward, particularly in light of the public debate, to offer to participate in the construction of the Georges Besse II plant.

The allocation of the various construction lots for the South unit was systematically put out to tender, with local and regional businesses duly taking part.

As far as the contracts that have already been allocated are concerned, local and regional businesses have accounted for over 53% of the global value of direct orders placed by the end of 2008.

More generally, the entire Tricastin region (Drôme, Vaucluse, Ardèche and Gard) is also benefiting from significant indirect benefits, since the successful contract bidders make extensive use of local subcontracting.

Informing the population

The project was launched under the banner of consultation and dialog, and the population concerned has been kept continually updated:

• A public debate was initiated in September-October 2004, backed up by the creation of a website providing the public with all kinds of information about the project. Eight public meetings took place in Drôme, Gard, Vaucluse and Ardèche, under the auspices of an independent commission: the CPDP (Commission de Pilotage du Débat Public - Public Debate Steering Committee)
• The project has been framed by 3 public inquiries, which took place in June-July 2006 and in 2008/2009.
• Local information committee meetings have also taken place.

Respect for the local environment

The potential impact of the construction project on the environment has been cataloged and studied from as early as the plant design phase.

• The modular design of the plant and its stepped construction over 10 years make it possible to keep the project dimensions within reasonable bounds in order to limit inconvenience for local people and the impact on the environment.
• Georges Besse II, half the height of the current plant and generating no noise pollution, will fit seamlessly into the landscape and the environment
• Electricity consumption will be reduced by 98% and cooling will not require water to be drawn from the Rhône.

The plant fully subscribes to AREVA's continuous improvement and sustainable development approach.

• The characteristics of the centrifugation process - low quantities of materials and operation in a vacuum - will make the plant still more efficient in terms of health &safety issues.
• All types of risk, including those associated with earthquakes, floods, aircraft crashes, fires, and explosions have been taken into account, in compliance with the technical directives of the nuclear safety authority (ASN).