Russia’s Techsnabexport (Tenex), part of state nuclear corporation Rosatom, and Electricite de France (EDF) have signed long-term contracts for enrichment of recovered uranium.
The contracts were signed during the XXII St Petersburg International Economic Forum on 25 May and will come into force after approval by the Euratom Agency for Supply. They involve the recycling of EDF’s reprocessed uranium, produced in France from its used fuel assemblies, enabling EDF to improve its economics, to save natural resources and to diversify its supply sources.
“It is symbolic that the time when our companies concluded new major agreements coincides with the 45th anniversary of Tenex’s first uranium production supply to France, which took place in 1973,” said Tenex general director Sergey Polgorodnik.
He told reporters after the signing that the contract will be implemented between 2022 and 2032 and will inviolve a complex of services for handling regenerated uranium.
"In this contract, we are realising our potential for reprocessing regenerated uranium, which is a huge volume of physical material of substantial value, we are talking about a $1bn contract," said Polgorodnik.
