Orano Proposal Accepted by DOE for HALEU Deconversion Contract Award
Orano’s project approach applies 60+ years of success in building and operating similar—and even larger—deconversion facilities.
BETHESDA, Md., October 8, 2024 – Orano received notification that its proposal was accepted by the Department of Energy in a six-company contract award for the deconversion of high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU). HALEU deconversion is a critical step in producing new nuclear fuels intended to power advanced reactors designs under development.
Based on its history as a DOE contractor for major projects, Orano formed a team bringing together the best-in-class capabilities and experience of its affiliates led by Orano Federal Services (Orano FS) with teaming partners including Fluor, Spectra Tech, Shine Technologies (SHINE), and others.
“We are proud to be selected by the DOE to participate in this program and for the opportunity to apply our decades of deconversion expertise to developing fuel for Gen-IV reactors in the U.S.,” said Jean-Luc Palayer, CEO, Orano USA. “Our team of expert companies represents the full range of capabilities needed for success and certainty of project delivery, plus the benefits from our strong relationships with community partners. With the U.S. goal of tripling nuclear energy by 2050, we need this active focus on developing a secure domestic fuel supply for all reactors.”
For more than 60 years, Orano has been a global expert in uranium mining, conversion / deconversion, transformation, purification, enrichment, and fluorine chemistry. During this time, our facilities have safely produced tens of tons of metal, tens of tons of oxide, hundreds of tons of depleted uranium (DU) metal, and hundreds of thousands of tons of DU oxide.
Learn more about Orano's support for a U.S. HALEU fuel supply.
Download this press release (PDF).
About Orano USA: Based in Bethesda, MD, with global headquarters in Paris, France, Orano is a leading technology and services provider for the commercial and federal nuclear industries. The company specializes in uranium mining/conversion/enrichment, used nuclear fuel management and recycling, decommissioning shutdown nuclear energy facilities, federal site clean-up and closure, and developing nuclear medicines to fight cancer.
Based on its history as a DOE contractor for major projects, Orano formed a team bringing together the best-in-class capabilities and experience of its affiliates led by Orano Federal Services (Orano FS) with teaming partners including Fluor, Spectra Tech, Shine Technologies (SHINE), and others.
“We are proud to be selected by the DOE to participate in this program and for the opportunity to apply our decades of deconversion expertise to developing fuel for Gen-IV reactors in the U.S.,” said Jean-Luc Palayer, CEO, Orano USA. “Our team of expert companies represents the full range of capabilities needed for success and certainty of project delivery, plus the benefits from our strong relationships with community partners. With the U.S. goal of tripling nuclear energy by 2050, we need this active focus on developing a secure domestic fuel supply for all reactors.”
For more than 60 years, Orano has been a global expert in uranium mining, conversion / deconversion, transformation, purification, enrichment, and fluorine chemistry. During this time, our facilities have safely produced tens of tons of metal, tens of tons of oxide, hundreds of tons of depleted uranium (DU) metal, and hundreds of thousands of tons of DU oxide.
Learn more about Orano's support for a U.S. HALEU fuel supply.
Download this press release (PDF).
About Orano USA: Based in Bethesda, MD, with global headquarters in Paris, France, Orano is a leading technology and services provider for the commercial and federal nuclear industries. The company specializes in uranium mining/conversion/enrichment, used nuclear fuel management and recycling, decommissioning shutdown nuclear energy facilities, federal site clean-up and closure, and developing nuclear medicines to fight cancer.