Tricastin: Orano lays the first stone of its new uranium enrichment plant

From 2028, Orano will increase its production capacity for enriched uranium, the fuel for nuclear power plants, by 30%. The chairman of the board Claude Imauven and the general director of the Orano group Nicolas Maes laid the first stone this Thursday for the extension of the Georges-Besse II factory. Orano produces its enriched uranium in Tricastin, which it sells to various operators of nuclear power plants around the world, including EDF. The company holds 13% of the global market. It is the 3rd manufacturer of enriched uranium after the Russian Rosatom (45%) and the British Urenco (32%).

Ensuring Western sovereignty against the Russians

The Europeans and Americans wish to reduce their purchases of enriched uranium from the Russian Rosatom due to the geopolitical context. And for this it increases our capacity to produce enriched uranium. It is in this context that Orano laid the first stone for the extension of its Georges-Besse II factory on the Tricastin site.

The investment is worth one billion seven hundred million euros: a colossal sum** which has been in the top 5 industrial investments in France for around ten years.

A four-year project

The site employs between 300 and 600 people with peaks of more than 1000 people. Currently Orano produces fuel for nuclear power plants to supply electricity to 90 million homes. This figure will be increased to 120 million households in 2028 with the commissioning of the Georges-Besse II extension.

Orano employs 2,500 employees on the Tricastin site and will create 50 additional jobs for the extension of its Georges-Besse II factory. 2000 employees from external companies work on the site. The company recruits 1000 employees per year in the South East of France (Tricastin, Marcoule, Cadarache and Narbonne).