The French government is "seriously" examining plans to build a site on French territory to convert and enrich reprocessed uranium. At present, Russia is the only country in the world that can recycle uranium for use in nuclear power plants.
"We are seriously examining the option of pursuing a project to convert reprocessed (or recycled) uranium within France, under the auspices of the Nuclear Policy Council," confirmed the French Ministry for Industry and Energy to AFP on Thursday.
The announcement is in line with statements made in an article published in Le Monde regarding France’s trade with the Russian nuclear industry. This sector does not currently fall under international sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 highlighted the need for France and other countries like the US to rely less on Russia’s nuclear giant, Rosatom, for their nuclear fuel cycle.
Specifically, to convert its reprocessed uranium (URT), France has no other option but to perform this stage in Russia, the only country with a conversion plant for URT through its public operator Rosatom. The subsequent enrichment stage could be carried out in Russia or the Netherlands.
In recent months, environmental NGO Greenpeace has criticised the continued shipments of uranium between Russia and France, particularly to benefit Électricité de France’s (EDF) power plants, despite the ongoing war.
