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Georges Besse II, a strategic program


		Energy > Enrichment Georges Besse II plant construction site
		Wall paper : 800*600

A modular concept for a smooth transition…

Since 1978, the Georges Besse plant operated by Eurodif, an AREVA subsidiary, has been enriching uranium using gaseous diffusion technology to meet the requirements of electricity producers. The Georges Besse II plant will gradually replace the existing Eurodif plant, with the setting up of a new technology: the centrifuge enrichment.

This technology offers the best levels of cost-efficiency, energy savings, technical reliability and environmental impact control.
It uses 50 times less electricity to produce the same quantity of SWU than a gaseous diffusion plant and it does not need to tap into the Rhône River for cooling water.
Besides, the intrinsic characteristics of the centrifuge process (smaller quantity of uranium in the process which operates under vacuum) mean that the Georges Besse II plant will be even safer.

To acquire this technology, AREVA concluded an agreement in 2003 with Urenco, a company specialized in centrifuge enrichment technology. ETC is responsible for the design, supply and startup of the centrifuge cascades. SGN, the AREVA group’s engineering subsidiary, is providing project management and overall technical coordination for the project.

Given the modularity of the plant, the plant is due to go into operation gradually, starting in 2009. Each module has a production capacity about 500,000 SWUs per year. When the plant is completed in around 2016, it should have a total production capacity of 7.5 million SWUs per year, which can be increased to 11 million SWUs per year if needed in step with market demand.

The Georges Besse II project, representing a capital investment of €3 billion, is one of the largest construction projects in France this decade and is a strategic move for the group.