French uranium mining and nuclear fuel group Orano (previously Areva NC) on 3 May announced that it is to supply US-based Centrus Energy with a substantial long-term supply of separative work units (SWUs) beginning after 2020.
Under the contract, signed on 27 April, Centrus will gain access to over 6m SWUs until 2030 – equivalent to more than 50 reactor – years of nuclear fuel. Centrus, which supplies nuclear fuel and services for the nuclear power industry, did not say how much the contract with Orano was worth.
The long-term agreement provides for deliveries from 2023 to 2028, with options for 2029 and 2030. Centrus will have significant flexibility to adjust its purchase quantities as needed to meet its sales and delivery requirements subject to certain minimum purchase obligations. The supply from Orano will enable Centrus to add new sales to its long-term order book, which stood at $1.3bn as of 31 December 2017 and extends for more than a decade.
Centrus’s diverse base of supply now includes Orano and Russia’s Tekhsnavexport (Tenex) as well as its existing inventory and other sources of supply, the company said.
