Press releases

April 3, 2009

Recycling: AREVA signs an agreement to supply MOX fuel to Japanese utility Electric Power Development

AREVA has signed today a contract* to supply MOX fuel assemblies for Japan’s Ohma nuclear power plant, scheduled to be in operation in 2014, located in the Aomori prefecture and which will be operated by the Japanese utility Electric Power Development Co., Ltd.

Under the terms of the contract, the fuel will be fabricated at AREVA’s MELOX plant in southern France, using Japanese plutonium recovered from the treatment operations performed at AREVA’s La Hague plant, thereby recycling it to be used in Japan as MOX fuel.

"This commercial success strengthens our group’s world leadership in MOX fuel fabrication, and attests to Japanese utilities’ confidence in our technology and know-how, for the first Japanese full MOX ABWR**", said Jean–Pierre Gros, Executive Vice President of AREVA’s Recycling business unit.

The contract comes as part of Japan’s nuclear program to recycle used fuel, and follows contracts signed in 2006 and 2008 with Japanese utilities CHUBU, KYUSHU, SHIKOKU and KANSAI.

Since 1995, MELOX has been fabricating MOX fuel assemblies for nuclear power plants in several countries, including France, Germany, Switzerland, Japan and the United States. Made with uranium and plutonium oxides, MOX fuel is a solution for recycling the plutonium recovered from used nuclear fuel. With 1,426 tons produced to date, MELOX is the world’s leading producer of MOX fuel.

* Contract signed between MELOX SA, to fabricate the MOX fuel, and GNF-J, in charge of designing the fuel with the utility.

** ABWR: Advanced Boiling Water Reactor

Contacts

AREVA press office:
Fleur Floquet-Daubigeon / Julien Duperray / Pauline Briand
Tel: +33 1 34 96 12 15 - Fax: +33 1 34 96 16 54
press@areva.com

AREVA Investors Relations:
Isabelle Coupey: Tel : +33 1 34 96 14 85
isabelle.coupey@areva.com
Manuel Lachaux: Tel: +33 1 34 96 11 53
manuel.lachaux@areva.com