Eurodif

Eurodif , which means European Gaseous Diffusion Uranium Enrichment Consortium , is a factory of Uranium enrichment established in the Nuclear site of Tricastin with Pierrelatte in the Drome, founded by Georges Besse in 1973, inaugurated in 1979 and exploited by a subsidiary company of Areva NC, Eurodif SA. The nuclear site of Tricastin includes/understands many nuclear installations of which most imposing are the nuclear plant EDF of Tricastin and Eurodif machines it.

Enriched uranium produces by Eurodif is used like combustible by the French nuclear plants and of many foreign power stations. Enriched uranium produces by Eurodif feeds approximately 90 pressurized water reactors, the nuclear die most largely widespread in the world, including 58 French engines. The factory only produces with it 25% of the enriched uranium worldwide consumption. Eurodif SA counts among its customers EDF and more than 30 companies of electricity in the world with for main competitors the the United States and the Russia.

History

Eurodif is a founded Coentreprise in 1973 by Georges Besse between 5 countries: the France, the Belgium, the Italy, the Spain and the Sweden.

Business Iranian enriched Uranium

In 1975, the Swedish share of 10 % in Eurodif had arrived at the Iran following a Franco-Iranian agreement. The nationalized French company Cogéma and the Iranian government then founded Sofidif (Franco-Iranian Company for uranium enrichment by gas diffusion), respectively having 60% and 40% of the shares. In return, Sofidif acquired a share of 25% in Eurodif, which gave to Iran its share of 10% in Eurodif. Reza Shah Pahlavi lent a billion dollar US (and still 180 million US$ in 1977) for the construction of the Eurodif factory, in order to have the right to buy 10% of the production of uranium enriched by the site. Following the Islamic revolution of 1979, the Iran suspends its payments and claims the refunding of the loan by making pressure on France.

In April 1979, the Prime Minister Raymond Barre inaugurates the factory of Eurodif. In same time, the Ayatollah Khomeiny breaks the supply agreement of nuclear plants signed with France. But it confirms the shareholding in Eurodif of Iran which always has 10% of the shares of this factory. France refuses to let Iran exert its statute of shareholder of Eurodif.

In 1981, after the startup of the factory Eurodif, Iran claims 10% of the production of enriched uranium to which they have right by contract, which France refuses. Of 1981 with 1991, the mode of the Mollahs is suspected of having perpetrated several assassinations, taking of hostages and murder attempts: probably hundreds of French paid of their life before France and Iran do not regulate the Eurodif dispute. cf Documentary the " The atomic Republic " , of David Carr-Brown and Dominique Lorentz, which was diffused on November 14th, 2001 on Arte, and delivers it atomic Affaires , Dominique Lorentz, the Arenas .

November 17th, 1986, after several murder attempts with Paris, and the removal of French journalists (Jean-Paul Kauffmann, Michel Seurat,…) retained as an hostage with the Lebanon by groups related to Iran, France refunds 330 million dollars, but refuses to provide any enriched uranium delivery. The same day occurs the assassination of Georges Besse, the founder of Eurodif. In December 1987 takes place one 2nd official payment of 330 million dollars by France in Iran.

February 5th, 1987, Michel Baroin dies in an air crash at the beginning of Brazzaville, accident presumedly organized by Iran, in connections with the Eurodif businesses.

May 6th, 1988, between the two turns of the presidential election, the French hostages are released. The Prime Minister Jacques Chirac ensures in an agreement with Iran of political guarantees on the granting without restrictions by the French government of license of uranium export enriched and the re-establishment of the statute of shareholder of Iran in Eurodif under the condition of the return of the last hostages of Lebanon.

In September 1989, the president François Mitterrand entrusts to François Scheer the Formalization of an final agreement of payment of the Franco-Iranian dispute. Finally an agreement is found in 1991: France refunded more than 1,6 billion dollar. Iran is restored in its statute of shareholder of Eurodif via a Franco-Iranian Consortium named Sofidif, with the right to take 10% of the uranium enriched with the fine civil ones.

Of French diplomatic source, one indicates that Iran is well member of Eurodif. But in the absence of civil nuclear plant operating in Iran, there is no enriched uranium delivery.

Current operation

The factory, baptized Georges Besse, of the name of the founder of Eurodif, provides in uranium enriched forty producers by electricity in the world, of which Électricité de France.

The natural Uranium 238 contains Uranium 235 0,7%. Currently, it is enriched up to 5% by a process of gas diffusion using the Uranium hexafluoride (UF₆).

Uranium is transformed in gas form (Uranium hexafluoride) then pushed by Compresseur S through a cascade of diffusers containing of the porous diffusion barriers to separate the atoms from Uranium 235 of the heavier uranium 238 atoms. The process is repeated 1.400 times to produce uranium enriched usable in the nuclear reactors (3 to fissile uranium 5%).

For this purpose, the compressors of the factory of Eurodif enrichment (of the electrical motors of several Megawatts) consume approximately 17 TWh per annum, but the Nuclear plant of Tricastin producing approximately 25 TWh /an, one can thus deduce from it that the 2/3 of the production of the power station of Tricastin, is nearly three of the four engines, are used to feed Eurodif, which makes of Areva the most important customer of EDF.

The transport of fuel to the power stations is done by train. Another major flow of this factory is the raw material arrival in the form of Uranium hexafluoride (UF6) of the subsidiary company Comurhex of the site by train also (Transport of nuclear fuel).

The warm water produced by the factory has a temperature higher than that produced by the nuclear plant. This explains the fact that Eurodif did not have the authorization to use the water of the Canal of Donzère-Mondragon (channel of the the Rhone) to cool it. This is why there are two Turns of cooling on the site. Those are thus used exclusively by Eurodif. Moreover, this warm water makes it possible to feed the Farm with the crocodiles, the buildings sporting, the agricultural greenhouses and 2500 residences of the town of Pierrelatte.

Project of Factory Georges Besse II of enrichment by centrifugation

To reduce the energy bill of enrichment to Eurodif, Areva has as a project to give up the process of enrichment by gas diffusion currently used with the Eurodif factory for a process by Centrifugation, within the framework of the creation of the factory Georges Besse II for the beginning 2009. The advantage of this new process by centrifugation is the least consumption of energy: 10 to 40 times less electricity than the current process by gas diffusion. The project was the subject of a public debate in the Rhone-Alps from September 1st to October 22nd, 2004, discusses organized by AREVA, building the owner of the project.

The estimated calendar, which envisages the first production of the factory Georges Besse II in the first quarter 2009, envisaged it initially at the end of 2007. The project took delay because of the studies of safety concerning the risk of seismicity, the risk of criticality and the risk of fall of plane, which were required by the nuclear Autorité of safety (ASN).

End of the operations of Dismantling of the current factory " George Besse " is planned for the end of 2020.

Environment analyzes

Each year, nearly 21.000 analyzes in laboratory are carried out on 9.500 samples taken in the natural environment (air and plants, rainwater, irrigation and pumping, ground water, vegetable etc) in 200 geographical points distributed on the site and in its close environment. The results of these analyzes are made public after specialized calculations and checks.

References

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