AREVA to train MOX Fuel Fabrication Facility (MFFF) operations staff in France

AREVA will develop and execute a training program for the MOX Fuel Fabrication Facility (MFFF) under construction at the Savannah River Site near Aiken, S.C. AREVA will train 93 MFFF staff members at its MELOX and La Hague recycling facilities in France.

The MFFF will be a major component in the United States program to dispose of surplus weapons-grade plutonium. The facility will take surplus weapons-grade plutonium, remove impurities, and mix it with uranium oxide to form MOX fuel pellets for reactor fuel assemblies to be used in U.S. nuclear power plants.

The trainees will include operators, technicians, and management personnel who will receive hands-on training at AREVA facilities. Several proprietary AREVA processes are incorporated into the MFFF, including plutonium dissolution and purification, and all the steps of MOX production.

The employees will be trained on key processes at AREVA’s La Hague and MELOX facilities. Preparations are scheduled to begin immediately in France, and it is anticipated that the trainees will be at the sites from mid-2013 through 2015 to support the startup of the MFFF.

“This training contract is a clear recognition of AREVA’s unparalleled experience in the treatment and recycling of nuclear fuel, operation of world-class recycling facilities, and production of MOX fuel. As a partner in the MOX project, we are proud to support the National Nuclear Security Administration’s nonproliferation efforts through the construction and operation of the MFFF,” said Alan Hanson, Executive Vice President, Technology and Used Fuel Management, at AREVA Inc.

The MFFF is being built by Shaw AREVA MOX Services, LLC, which is comprised of AREVA and Shaw Environmental & Infrastructure, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Shaw Group.