Orano signs a preparatory works contract for the transport and recycling of used fuel from Japan

At the end of October 2018, Orano signed a contract for an important volume of business with the JAEA¹ (Japan Atomic Energy Agency) regarding the preparation of shipments to France of 731 used fuel assemblies from the Fugen reactor in Japan.

Orano will conduct all the technical preparatory works for the future shipments of 111 tonnes of nuclear materials planned to be carried out between 2023 and 2026, including the design and manufacturing of a fleet of transport casks which will meet national and international nuclear safety and security regulations.

The contract also envisages studies to be carried out prior to the acceptance and recycling operations for the used fuel at the la Hague plant.

"The signature of this major contract confirms that our customers are choosing nuclear recycling as a responsible and efficient solution for managing their used fuel. It consolidates the international dimension of our industrial platform in France", said Pascal Aubret, Executive Vice President of Orano's Recycling Business Unit. "This important step forward is also a reward for the all the work and effort put in by our teams on this project".

For Frédéric de Agostini, Senior Executive Vice President of the Nuclear Packaging and Services Business Unit, responsible for logistics operations, "the choice that the JAEA has made further strengthens the long-term relationship that we have with our Japanese partners. Orano has internationally recognized know-how both in the design and approval of packaging by the competent authorities, and in the transport of nuclear materials. This unique expertise enables us to propose a solution that is safe, reliable and perfectly adapted to our customer’s needs".

[1]The JAEA (Japan Atomic Energy Agency) is the Japanese public agency responsible for research and development activities in the nuclear field. The JAEA's mission is to work for the continuous improvement of nuclear safety, as well as to work on fundamental research to support nuclear energy and on the development of technologies for the processing and management of radioactive waste.