Enrichment Technology Company (ETC), an Areva and Urenco subsidiary, has taken possession of the site, where its subsidiary ET France will assemble centrifuges from its German and Dutch workshops.
Component manufacture is underway, in line with ETC’s time schedule. The first centrifuge cascades at the Georges Besse II plant will begin operation during the first six months of 2009. Through the Georges Besse II site, Areva hopes to reinforce its position on the enrichment market where it claims to have 25% of available world capacity.
Concurrent with the construction of Georges Besse II and with the technical support of ETC, Areva is continuing to train employees on the operation of the future site, under real-life conditions, notably at the British site of Capenhurst.
Areva stated that the centrifuge enrichment process to be used on the site marks an economic and environmental advance as it consumes less electricity than gaseous diffusion and further increases the level of safety at facilities.
