A new age for enrichment in France

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.

The players and their territories in a competitive market

The enrichment market is a competitive one characterized by a constant search for cost-competitiveness, reliability and flexibility. Together, the four major suppliers – AREVA, Rosatom, URENCO and USEC – account for 95% of the world’s installed enriched uranium production capacity.

Two enrichment processes are currently implemented on an industrial scale:

• gaseous diffusion, used by AREVA at the Georges Besse plant in France and by USEC in the United States, and
• centrifugation, used by URENCO in Western Europe (Germany, Netherlands and the United Kingdom), Rosatom in Russia, CNNC in China, JNFL in Japan, and AREVA at its Georges Besse II plant and at its future Eagle Rock enrichment plant in the United States.

Industrial agreements between AREVA and URENCO

On July 3, 2006, AREVA acquired the right to use the centrifugation technology, which is being implemented at the Georges Besse II plant.

On November 24, 2003, AREVA and URENCO signed an agreement by which AREVA acquired a 50% interest in the Enrichment Technology Company (ETC), which designs and manufactures centrifuges.
Two conditions precedent had to be met for the agreement to take effect:

• The first condition was satisfied on October 6, 2004 when the European Commission ruled that the agreement has no effect on competition between URENCO and AREVA in the enrichment market. 
• The second condition was met on July 3, 2006 through a diplomatic process when the Cardiff Treaty was signed between France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Germany.

AREVA and URENCO thus continue to compete for the sale of enrichment services. ETC remains the sole owner of the technology, which it makes available to customers such as AREVA.

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.

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. 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)

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*.

* 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.

Construction by stages

South Unit

• Construction of the South Unit began in September 2006. AREVA turned the Centrifuge Assembly Building (CAB) over to ETC on February 15, 2008. The first centrifuges were assembled there in the summer of 2008 and were successfully tested with UF6 at the end of the year.
  The centrifuges and related complex system of piping were installed in the first enrichment cascade at the beginning of 2009.
  A key milestone was met at the end of 2009 when the centrifuges in the first enrichment cascade reached nominal speed.
• After numerous tests, enabling employees to become familiar with the routine use of the different equipment and control panels in the building, which houses the control room and other facilities, the building was officially transferred by prime contractor SGN to SET in August 2010.
• Construction of the annex for the first module of South Unit, where all incoming and outgoing materials are managed, has been completed. Cylinders of natural UF6 are routed to the feed stations on a rail-mounted transfer vehicle inside the annexes.
  The active testing phase of the first module in which UF6 is transferred via the corridor between cascade 1 and cascade 2 is in progress and will continue through December 2010 with the arrival of the first UF6 cylinders at the cascades.

North Unit

• The first phase of construction of the second unit was begun in the northern area of the Tricastin site in March 2009. That phase has now been completed.
  The centrifuge assembly building (CAB), where centrifuges for the second unit will be assembled, was officially transferred to ETC in September 2010.
• At the same time, the first cascade room was turned over to ETC for installation of the centrifuges, which will first be assembled in the clean room before being installed at the end of the first half of 2011.
• Construction has now moved on to modules two and three. Phase-in of North Unit production could start at the end of 2011.
• Next to the North Unit site, construction of the REC II building has been completed. This building manages incoming and outgoing material in UF₆ cylinders.

The modular design of the plant will facilitate the transition from the existing Georges Besse plant to the new Georges Besse II plant, with construction spanning some ten years. Each of the two units will employ an average of 500 people during this phase.

Plant operations

Société d’Enrichissement du Tricastin (SET) is the owner and operator of the Georges Besse II plant. At the end of 2009, 143 SET employees were involved in preparing for plant startup and 27 employees were in charge of supervising construction.

Several training sessions including both formal classes and workshops have been held since 2004 to prepare personnel for the start of plant operations.

SET will employ 450 people by the time the Georges Besse II plant reaches full capacity in 2016.

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
• Georges Besse 2 will use 50 times less electricity 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).

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.

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.

As far as the contracts that have already been allocated are concerned, local and regional businesses have accounted for over 60% of the global value of direct orders placed by the end of 2008.

Provisional project schedule

2003

• November: Industrial agreement signed between AREVA and URENCO (submitted for application with two conditions precedent).

2004

•  September 1 - October 22: Public debate.

2005

• February: Following the public debate, AREVA opts to pursue with the Georges Besse II project.

2006

• January: Start of preliminary work.
• March: Construction permit obtained.
• June 12 - July 21: Public Inquiry relating to the Georges Besse II project.
• July 3: Entry into force of the industrial agreement of November 24, 2003; AREVA becomes a 50% shareholder in ETC.
• July 12: Ratification of the Cardiff agreement.
• September: Start of civil engineering work on the South unit.

2007

• April: Authorization order obtained for the foundation of the Georges Besse II BNI.
• August: End of civil engineering work on the first tranche of the South unit (CAB, CUB, and first module).

2008

• February:  Handover of CAB building to ETC.
• June: GDF Suez takes a stake in the SET (Société d’Enrichissement du Tricastin) holding company.
• August: Commissioning authorization for the CAB.
• DEcembre : Starting the public inquiry on the modification of decree authorizing creation of the INB Georges Besse II.

2009

• March: Start of civil engineering work on the North unit. Start of installation of the centrifuges in the 1st module of the South unit.
• March: The Japanese companies Kansai and Sojitz take a stake in the SET (Société d’Enrichissement du Tricastin) holding company.
• Mai : End of the installation of the first enrichment cascade (South-unit).
• Juin : The South-Korean electric companies  Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. Ltd (KHNP) take a stake (2.5%) in the SET (Société d’Enrichissement du Tricastin) holding company..
• Novembre : The centrifuges reached nominal speed in the first enrichment cascade .

2010

• The South Unit enters service
• Novembre : The Japanese companies Kyushu Electric Power and Tohoku Electric Power take a stake in the SET (Société d’Enrichissement du Tricastin) holding company.

2011

• Spin-up of the North Unit’s first cascade

2012

• The North Unit enters service

2016

• Nominal production capacity of the Georges Besse II ( 7,5 MUTS)