LES ACTIVITÉS NUCLÉAIRES : RAYONNEMENTS IONISANTS ET RISQUES POUR LA SANTÉ ET L’ENVIRONNEMENT 1 – The “fuel cycle” The uranium ore is extracted, then purified and concentrated into Yellow Cake on the mining sites. The solid concentrate is then transformed into uranium hexafluoride (UF6) following conversion operations. These operations are performed in the Orano plants in Malvési and Tricastin. These plants, which are regulated under the legislation for Installations Classified for Protection of the Environment (ICPEs) use natural uranium in which the uranium-235 content is around 0.7%. Most of the world’s nuclear power reactors use uranium which is slightly enriched in uranium-235. The Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR) series for example requires uranium enriched with isotope-235. In France, enrichment of UF6 between 3% and 6% is carried out by ultracentrifuges at the Georges Besse II (GB II) plant at Tricastin. This enriched UF6 is then transformed into uranium oxide powder in the Framatome plant in Romans-sur-Isère. The fuel pellets manufactured with this oxide are introduced into cladding to make fuel rods, which are then combined to form fuel assemblies. These assemblies are then placed in the reactor core where they release energy, notably through the fission of uranium-235 nuclei. Irradiation of these assemblies in the core leads to the creation of plutonium. Before it is used in the reactors, new nuclear fuel can be stored in one of the two Inter-Regional fuel Stores (MIR) operated by EDF in Bugey and Chinon. In 2023, Framatome also took over the fabrication of fuel assemblies based on Enriched Reprocessed Uranium (URE) intended for the Cruas-Meysse Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). After a period of use of about three to four years, the spent fuel assemblies are removed from the reactor and cooled in a pool, firstly on the site of the plant in which they were used and then in the Orano reprocessing plant at La Hague. Installation Product processed Product obtained Product shipped Origin Product processed Tonnage (in tML(*)) Product obtained Tonnage (in tML(*)) Destination Tonnage (in tML(*)) Orano Tricastin Conversion Orano Malvési UF4 13,125 UF6 12,672 Orano storage areas Tricastin 12,672 Orano Tricastin TU5 unit Orano La Hague Uranyl nitrate 1,241 U3O8 1,241 Orano storage areas Tricastin 1,260 Orano Tricastin W plant Orano Tricastin GB II – Urenco UF6 depleted 6,804 U3O8 6,804 Orano storage areas Tricastin 6,799 Orano Tricastin GB II Orano Tricastin Conversion UF6 8,334 UF6 depleted 7,211 Orano Usine W Tricastin 7,211 UF6 enriched 1,123 Fuel fabrication plants 1,123 Framatome Romans Orano Tricastin GB II UF6 enriched 691 Fuel assemblies 787 EDF 683 Urenco (Netherlands, Germany and United Kingdom) 78 Taishan (China) 81 Tenex (Russia) 62 OL3 (Finland) 4 ANF Lingen (Germany) Gadolinium rods 9 UO2 powder and U3O8 15 Framatome Richland (United States) 12 CEA 3 UO2 rods 18 Enusa (Spain) 12 Orano Melox Marcoule WSE Vasteras (Sweden) UO2 depleted 108 MOX fuel assemblies 85 EDF 86 Orano La Hague PuO2 9 Kansai (Japan) 14 Orano La Hague Fuels reprocessed in the La Hague plant EDF UOX 871 Uranium in form of uranyl nitrate 1,133 Orano Tricastin 1,081 BR2 (Belgium) RTR < 1 PuO2 14 Melox Marcoule 10 Fuels stored in the La Hague plant pools EDF and other licensees Irradiated fuel elements 10,013 – – – – TABLE 1 “Fuel cycle” industry movements in 2025 * tML: tonne of heavy metal. ASNR Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2025 321 09 10 11 13 12 A / Z 08 01 05 02 06 03 07 04
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