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Enrichment
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Natural uranium contains 0.7% of uranium 235. After the enrichment operation, it contains from 3 to 5%.
To increase the uranium 235 content, uranium hexafluoride
Two industrial processes are used worldwide for enrichment: gaseous diffusion
The Enrichment business unit, through the Georges Besse plant - operated by Eurodif Production - operates uranium enrichment through gaseous diffusion.
With the aim to consolidate its position of leading player in the nuclear industry and prepare the future, the group is investing in the construction of the Georges Besse II plant, which will perform enrichment using the centrifugation technology, which will offer better guarantees in terms of energy efficiency, environmental impact and also competitiveness.
Customers 
The group has about 30 electricity-producing customers, mainly located in Europe, in the United-States and in Asia, and supplies about 100 reactors around the world. The business unit keeps on developing its enrichment services offer particularly in Asia and the United-States.
Available worldwide enrichment capacities, expressed in million SWU, are dispatched between various operators. AREVA, with 10.8 SWU per year, is a key actor in the enrichment market.
Locations Georges Besse plant, located on the Tricastin nuclear site, has been in operation for almost 30 years without interruption. The new Georges Besse II enrichment plant is being built on the same site.
Within the AREVA group, Enrichment operations are handled by AREVA NC.
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Click on the Enrichment heading and Fuel cycle on the AREVA NC site
Press releases 
05/13/2008 - Ana Palacio joins AREVA
News briefs
05/13/2008 - Alternatives magazine goes on line
In the core of the nuclear reactor
46 volunteers for solidarity missions with Planète Urgence
Anne Lauvergeon
