11/29/2006
Press release
On Tuesday, November 28, 2006, AREVA* signed an agreement with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (MHI) to supply MOX fuel to the Ikata nuclear power plant operated by the Japanese electric power company Shikoku Epco.
The fuel will be fabricated at the MELOX plant in southern France (Gard Department). The plutonium from the treatment of Shikoku's used fuel at the La Hague plant will be completely recycled in this manner and sent back to Japan as MOX.
The agreement confirms Japanese utility confidence in AREVA group technology and know-how. It comes with the restart of the Japanese utilities' recycling program following the signature, in 2006, of agreements with two other Japanese electric power companies. This commercial success confirms AREVA's position as the world's leading manufacturer of MOX.
Since 1995, MELOX has been fabricating MOX fuel assemblies for nuclear power plants in various countries, including France, Germany, Switzerland and Japan. Made with a mixture of uranium and plutonium oxides, MOX fuel recycles plutonium recovered from used fuel. With more than 1,000 metric tons of heavy metal produced to date, MELOX is the world's leading producer of MOX fuel.
* via MELOX SA. MHI is the fuel vendor selected by the electric power company for this contract.
Press Office
Charles Hufnagel
Patrick Germain
T: +33 1 44 83 71 17
F: +33 1 44 83 25 52
press@areva.com
Investors Relations
Frédéric Potelle
T: +33 1 44 83 72 49
frederic.potelle@areva.com
The fuel will be fabricated at the MELOX plant in southern France (Gard Department). The plutonium from the treatment of Shikoku's used fuel at the La Hague plant will be completely recycled in this manner and sent back to Japan as MOX.
The agreement confirms Japanese utility confidence in AREVA group technology and know-how. It comes with the restart of the Japanese utilities' recycling program following the signature, in 2006, of agreements with two other Japanese electric power companies. This commercial success confirms AREVA's position as the world's leading manufacturer of MOX.
Since 1995, MELOX has been fabricating MOX fuel assemblies for nuclear power plants in various countries, including France, Germany, Switzerland and Japan. Made with a mixture of uranium and plutonium oxides, MOX fuel recycles plutonium recovered from used fuel. With more than 1,000 metric tons of heavy metal produced to date, MELOX is the world's leading producer of MOX fuel.
* via MELOX SA. MHI is the fuel vendor selected by the electric power company for this contract.
Press Office
Charles Hufnagel
Patrick Germain
T: +33 1 44 83 71 17
F: +33 1 44 83 25 52
press@areva.com
Investors Relations
Frédéric Potelle
T: +33 1 44 83 72 49
frederic.potelle@areva.com