Nuclear power generation is back in the spotlight in Europe and in France in particular. Orano Melox, the Mox fuel specialist, is adding €84 million to the table between now and 2025. The stated aim of this investment is to increase production from less than 60 tonnes today to 100, then 120 tonnes annually by 2025.
MOX fuel, a mixture of uranium oxide (around 93%) and plutonium oxide (around 7%), is used in some nuclear power plants to limit the consumption of natural uranium by recycling the plutonium extracted from spent fuel.
In France, EDF uses MOX fuel in 22 reactors technically adapted to receive this type of fuel (2 additional reactors were authorised to use MOX in 2014) out of the 58 reactors in the French nuclear fleet.
The Orano Melox recycling plant is located in Marcoule in the Gard region. It is highly monitored from a safety perspective for the impact of its activity on the environment. The Marcoule water table is regularly tapped via specific boreholes.
The announced increase in production at the Orano Melox site is a strong signal that confirms the French government's desire to reinvest in this source of energy production in order to limit the country's dependence on external supplies of fossil fuels.