Areva has been awarded a contract by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) to provide new shipping cask for used fuel.
The contract calls for the manufacturing of a TN®MTR cask to transport used fuel from research reactors and will be part of ANSTO’s OPAL reactor used fuel management strategy. Australia’s Open Pool Australian Lightwater (OPAL) reactor produces, in particular, radioisotopes used for medical purposes.
The TN®MTR cask is based on forged steel technology and can contain up to 68 fuel elements. With its different internal basket design configurations, it can carry fuel with a variety of characteristics and can be unloaded in a dry environment or underwater.
This contract marks a first milestone in a long-term partnership with ANSTO in the field of back-end fuel management.
"This contract illustrates the confidence of our Australian customer in our safe and competitive solutions for used fuel transportation. It comes following the successful nuclear waste shipment from France to Australia a few months ago," said Benoît Fichefeux, executive director of AREVA TN.