“By 2030 in Western Europe”
France is considering building a special uranium enrichment plant
March 29, 2024, 4:19 p.m
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For years, abundantly used radioactive material has been brought from Europe to Russia to be enriched there again – and, according to critics, to be disposed of in Siberia. France is now considering building a special facility to become more independent from Russia.
To reduce dependence on Russia, the French government is considering building a plant to re-enrich uranium from spent fuel. “This possibility is being seriously examined,” said the Industry and Energy Ministry in Paris. French power company EDF confirmed that it is in discussions with several partners to build a uranium re-enrichment plant “by 2030 in Western Europe.”
An important facility that can re-enrich uranium from used fuel for use in nuclear power plants is currently located in Seversk, Siberia. In 2018, EDF signed a contract worth 600 million euros with a branch of the Russian nuclear company Rosatom to re-enrich the uranium from used fuel elements in Seversk. This is a complex process that leaves behind large amounts of radioactive waste.
This contract will be respected, explained Jean-Michel Quilichini, director of the nuclear division at EDF. He told the newspaper “Le Monde” that he saw no reason to terminate a working contract. However, EDF is trying to “diversify geographical sources and suppliers”.
EDF wants more “circular economy”
EDF explained that it is a “circular economy” that could save a quarter of the raw material in the coming decades. The aim is to equip around 30 percent of the reactors with uranium that has been enriched in this way by the 2030s.
The numerous sanctions that the EU has imposed on Russia since the start of the war of aggression against Ukraine have so far left out the nuclear industry. The environmental organization Greenpeace criticizes the continued trade with Russia in favor of the French nuclear industry. Even before the war began, the environmental organization criticized France for “disposing” radioactive waste in Siberia.
French President Emmanuel Macron has long been promoting the development of a European nuclear industry, which also includes the processing of uranium. In February 2022, he announced a turnaround in France towards a renewed expansion of nuclear power and promised the construction of up to 14 reactors.
Macron justifies this by saying that nuclear power is low-emission and contributes to the country’s independent energy supply. Critics point out that France imports around half of the uranium needed for nuclear power plants from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.