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Areva Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility project (USA) - Current Issues

(last updated 23 July 2008)

NRC Docket No. 07007015
NRC License No.

> View NRC's fuel facility licensing page

Areva selects Idaho site for proposed U.S. uranium enrichment plant

On May 6, 2008, AREVA Inc. announced that it has selected the state of Idaho for its new U.S. uranium enrichment facility. The site is located in Bonneville County, 18 miles west of Idaho Falls, close to the Idaho National Lab.

Areva Inc. is building its $2 billion uranium enrichment plant near Idaho Falls, Idaho, according to New Mexico state Rep. John Heaton. (Carlsbad Current-Argus May 5, 2008)

Areva delays site decision for proposed U.S. uranium enrichment plant

French nuclear company Areva has postponed its choice of a site for a US centrifuge uranium enrichment plant until the first quarter of 2008, a company spokeswoman said Dec. 19, 2007. Earlier, Areva had announced it would choose a site by the end of 2007. (Platts Dec. 20, 2007)

Areva discloses sites considered for proposed U.S. centrifuge enrichment plant

Under consideration are sites in Virginia (where Areva NP Inc.

already operates a nuclear fuel facility at Lynchburg), New Mexico, Texas, South Carolina and Idaho, AREVA NC Inc.

President Mike McMurphy said. "We're looking for places where the geology and seismic conditions are correct and public acceptance is good," he said. (The News & Advance, July 4, 2007)

NRC discloses Areva's proposal to build centrifuge enrichment plant in USA

On June 21, 2007, NRC disclosed a meeting summary of a pre-application meeting held with Areva

on May 21, 2007, on Areva's proposal to build a centrifuge enrichment plant with an initial capacity of 3 million SWU in the U.S.
Areva and Urenco

joint venture Enrichment Technology Company, Limited

(ETC) will supply the centrifuge technology. According to Areva, the Cardiff agreement provides for transferring technology to other countries. (The Cardiff agreement, signed in 2006, provides the framework for the transfer of Urenco's centrifuge technology to the ETC joint venture. It was concluded to allow for the construction of Areva's Georges Besse II enrichment plant based on Urenco centrifuge technology. It extends the Treaty of Almelo of 1970 which forms the basis for the Urenco consortium.)
The schedule proposed by Areva is to select a site by the end of 2007 (thereby trying to "Incorporate lessons learned from LES and other nuclear facility site selection activities"...), submit an application by mid-2008, have a license issued by mid-2010, start construction in late 2010 and begin operating in 2013. Full capacity is to be attained in 2017.
Regarding management of depleted uranium tails, Areva plans to either convert and dispose of tails by a private, commercial company, or have DOE dispose of the tails in accordance with Section 3113 of the USEC Privatization Act (Title III of Public Law 104-134

(1.2M PDF)).

> Download NRC Meeting Summary May 21, 2007 (ADAMS: ML071720019)
> Download Areva presentation May 21, 2007 (ADAMS: ML071650116)

> Download text of the Cardiff agreement: Agreement between the governments of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the French Republic, the Federal Republic of Germany and the Kingdom of the Netherlands regarding collaboration in centrifuge technology: Cardiff, 12 July 2005 (UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office - 399k PDF)
> View details on the history of the Cardiff agreement

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