1. Innovation

Take action on transitions

Nuclear is an energy with a bright future and represents a real asset in meeting the many challenges with which the world is faced.

As a low-carbon option, it is emerging as one of the key solutions to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 and significantly cut CO₂ emissions.

Dense and controllable, it delivers large quantities of electricity while adapting to demand.
Placing a restrained demand on mineral resources, it is economic in its use of rare and strategic raw materials.
Young and innovative, it develops advanced technologies and unique expertise for the nuclear industry of today and tomorrow, while also supporting other sectors to foster a more sustainable society.

Hardwired into Orano's DNA, innovation is preparing the ground today for the group to become a major player in the transitions of the future, based on solid foundations:

  • expertise in the recycling of nuclear fuels as part of an approach based on the circular economy and conservation of resources;
  • investing in and supporting industrial players in territories where Orano is present and the creation of qualified jobs;
  • the development of new activities making the most of unique skills, its cutting-edge technologies and fuel cycle materials;
  • the reduction of its own carbon and environmental footprint.
On the strength of this experience, the group plans to go even further.

Innovation for  industrial transition


Orano, a player in Industry 4.0, is already imagining the factory of the future by making the most of new cutting-edge technologies to:

  • Improve the productivity of plants, the competitiveness of services, and the safety of operators
  • Accelerate deployment of a services approach, attentive to its customers

Oxilio

The innovative and scalable service for the management of nuclear materials.
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udd@Orano

Accelerate the deployment of the new technologies of Industry 4.0 at the heart of Orano's workshops.
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TN Eagle Factory

The 4.0 factory for assembling TN Eagle nuclear packaging.
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Pool Densification

An innovative storage basket production line to increase pool capacity.
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Artificial Intelligence

Empowering decision-making.
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Innovation for the energy and environmental transition


Preserve resources, develop a circular economy for strategic materials, foster the emergence of more sustainable nuclear and indisputably help to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

Battery Recycling

Orano to play its part in the circular economy with the Batteries program.
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The recycling and remanufacturing of magnets in a short loop

Develop and industrialize innovative recycling processes.
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PARCOVAL

A dual nuclear circularity serving strategic autonomy and the climate.
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Nuclear of the future

Contribute to the development of the nuclear power of the future for a more sustainable and acceptable nuclear power.
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Nuclear Market Place

The industrial equipment sharing platform for the nuclear sector.
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Circular economy around CO2 - Circular economy around CO2 

Our ambition: Accelerate the development of Deep Tech start-ups through active collaborations with Orano by giving them access, for example, to our unique expertise, our testing equipment, and our industrial facilities to validate their innovative solutions.

Orano has partnered with Global Challenge Hello Tomorrow, the annual competition for Deep Tech start-ups, with the aim of facing the major challenges of tomorrow. 

One of the objectives: Identify solutions based on science or cutting-edge technologies that help develop a circular economy around CO2,  drawing on capture, regeneration, storage, and recovery of CO2 as a raw material.

Innovation for social transition



Work for health
Support the development and growth of its partner start-ups, VSBs and SMEs

Targeted Alpha Therapy

Orano Med, a major player in the development of targeted alpha therapies.
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Stable isotopes

A laboratory dedicated to the production of ultra-pure stable isotopes.
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Support for start-ups, VSBs and SMEs

Initiatives that foster the emergence and growth of innovative ecosystems.
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Oxilio

The innovative and scalable service for the management of nuclear materials

Oxilio is the Orano service offered to all users of radioactivity for non-power generating activities (hospitals, radiotherapy centers, research institutes, etc.).

It provides access to Orano's tried-and-tested expertise in dismantling, cleanup, radiation protection, maintenance and radioactive waste management.

Oxilio is both a community for sharing, and providing access to practical digital services and tools, enabling as many people as possible to make use of nuclear solutions while managing the associated constraints.

udd@Orano

Accelerate the deployment of the new technologies of Industry 4.0 at the heart of Orano's workshops

Coordinated by Orano, this project brought together 11 industrial and academic partners who pooled their expertise to develop and implement new technological solutions applicable to the nuclear sector and to other industries.

Central to this is a three-fold objective for Orano and its partners:
  • Continue to keep its industrial sites at the cutting edge of technology to ensure the competitiveness of its activities and the safety of its operators, as part of a strategy of sustainable development;
  • Develop new knowledge and building blocks which will set its offer apart;
  • Promote and encourage the development and growth of 8 partner VSBs/SMEs;

TN Eagle Factory

The 4.0 factory for assembling TN Eagle nuclear packaging

The TN Eagle is a transport and dry storage packaging model for spent fuel. With up to ten times fewer parts than similar packaging, zero welding, and exceptional modularity, its innovative design meets the needs of nuclear power plant operators while enhancing safety and competitiveness.

Equipped with a modular production line, the fully automated TN Eagle Factory significantly reduces assembly time for the various packaging versions and improves Orano’s competitiveness in the market.

Thanks to this factory located at the port of Cherbourg, Orano brings in-house the manufacturing operations of this next-generation packaging, which incorporates cutting-edge and differentiating technologies.

+ Data

  • 15 months of manufacturing
  • Compared to over 40 months on average for previous-generation products

Pool Densification

An innovative storage basket production line to increase pool capacity

The pool densification approach involves replacing the current storage baskets for fuel packaging with baskets of smaller cross-section.

The goal: to gradually increase pool capacity up to 1,500 tonnes, providing a sustainable solution to the storage capacity at Orano’s La Hague site.

These new baskets, designed by Orano Temis, are produced on two state-of-the-art production lines, also developed by Orano Temis in partnership with two integrators from the aerospace industry.

Designed with the operator in mind, the process is based on lean manufacturing flow principles, workstation ergonomics, and the use of Industry 4.0 technologies, including collaborative robots for certain operations.


+ Data

  • 1,280 baskets to reach the 1,500-tonne target
  • 330 baskets per year

Artificial Intelligence

Empowering decision-making

Design, operation, interventions, dismantling… in all its activities, Orano relies on Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve performance and develop major projects for the years ahead.

  • Classical AI to analyze, predict, or classify based on existing data. This includes technologies such as:
    • Computer Vision (monitoring production quality, detecting equipment anomalies, infrastructure inspections…)
    • Time Series Analysis (predicting failures, optimizing maintenance schedules…)
    • Machine Learning/Deep Learning (data classification and anomaly detection to enhance safety, energy efficiency…)
    • Complex AI
  • Generative AI (GAI), based on Natural Language Processing technologies, to synthesize, analyze, and assist in document writing, as well as search and leverage unstructured textual data across large volumes of documents (technical files, maintenance reports, intervention summaries…). A multifunctional generic GAI hub platform has been developed to support experts in their tasks and assist employees in producing complex documents.

 

Some examples:

  • Online UF4 quality measurement
  • Predictive maintenance of remotely operated arms
  • Anticipating climate impact on workshop management
  • Automated patent analysis

Battery Recycling

Orano to play its part in the circular economy with the Batteries program

One ambition: to become a key player in the ecosystem of Lithium-ion (Li-ion) electric vehicle batteries and their recycling on the European market, with a view to the arrival on the market of gigafactories in France and in Europe.  

As part of the Batteries program, Orano is developing a new complete and low-carbon process for the efficient recovery of materials of interest. After totally safe pre-processing of batteries at the end of their lifetime, followed by steps to purify the materials by means of hydrometallurgy, the resulting recycled metals of interest will be able to be used to manufacture new cathode active materials (CAMs) and their precursors (PCAMs), needed for electric batteries.
Orano and the XTC New Energy group, a producer of cathode materials for batteries, have signed agreements to create two joint ventures dedicated to the production of these materials. An industrial platform is planned for 2026 at the Grand Maritime Port of Dunkirk.

This program is an integral part of Orano's desire to diversify its activities, while making the most of its know-how in the recycling and processing of materials and its expertise in the chemistry of materials, hydrometallurgy and the industrialization of processes. It aims to contribute to European sovereignty in meeting its own needs for critical materials, and to French reindustrialization.

The recycling and remanufacturing of magnets in a short loop

Develop and industrialize innovative recycling processes

An ambition: to revive a high-performance sintered magnet industrial production facility in France, as well as a long-term European supply chain.

Orano leads and coordinates two collaborative projects aimed at developing recycling processes for permanent magnets used in traction motors and wind turbine generators, with a triple focus on circularity, decarbonization, and diversifying supply routes for strategic raw materials.

  • Magnolia, launched in 2022, brings together five partners from the French sector (Orano, Valeo, Paprec, Daimantel France, and CEA Liten).
    Supported by BPI France under the France Relance program, it focuses on developing processes covering powder-based recycling of used magnets and the manufacture of permanent magnets.
    A 4-ton pilot process at CEA-Liten in Grenoble is underway to further develop the technological building blocks necessary for industrializing the process.
  • Magellan, launched in 2024, gathers 14 partners from 8 European Union countries for a 3-year project.
    Funded by the Horizon Europe R&D program, it focuses on industrializing processes covering fusion-based recycling of used magnets and the manufacture of permanent magnets.

PARCOVAL

A dual nuclear circularity serving strategic autonomy and the climate

The PARCOVAL project, launched in September 2024, is funded by the Euratom research and training program under a Horizon call for projects. It fully aligns with the European objectives of strategic sovereignty, transition to a circular economy, and combating climate change.

Its ambition: to create two circular loops from two types of waste by recovering critical raw materials such as palladium (Pd) from spent nuclear fuel. This metal, currently vitrified at La Hague, is reclaimed to be used as a catalyst in the electrochemical reduction of CO₂ to CO (CO₂RR), a mild and promising chemistry. The CO produced is then used in the carbonylation of acrylic acid into succinic anhydride, a key monomer for polyester chemistry and potentially for e-fuels.

The initial results are very encouraging: Pd has already been recovered at La Hague, and the project benefits from strong collective momentum, driven by a consortium bringing together Orano, CEA, CNRS, JRC, the German university FAU, Prodeval, and the Hungarian start-up eChemicles.

PARCOVAL perfectly illustrates the mission of the Euratom program: supporting innovative collaborative projects led by partners from multiple European countries (France, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands) to address societal challenges related to the use of nuclear energy in a sustainable and responsible manner.

+ Data

  • Total budget: €2.84 million

Nuclear Market Place

The industrial equipment sharing platform for the nuclear sector

An ambition: to become the leading platform for the new and second-life industrial nuclear equipment market.

The Nuclear Market Place is a platform dedicated to the reuse and sharing of equipment, tools, consumables, and spare parts for professionals in the nuclear industry.

With several hundred users and active listings, it provides easy access to new or used products, available for loan or rental. Aligned with a circular economy approach and aimed at reducing environmental impact, it helps save costs by avoiding new purchases, reduce and repurpose dormant inventory, optimize the supply chain, and significantly cut waste and greenhouse gas emissions.

+ Data

  • 3,500 products reused
  • 7 tonnes of waste avoideds
  • Several hundred thousand euros saved

Nuclear of the future

Contribute to the development of the nuclear power of the future for a more sustainable and acceptable nuclear power.

An ambition: to contribute to the future of nuclear energy and support the emergence of tomorrow’s reactor concepts by positioning itself as a major industrial player in the fuel cycle and associated services, for more sustainable and acceptable nuclear power.

In 2024, the Nuclear Policy Council (CPN) confirmed the main directions of France’s back-end cycle policy, combining treatment, reuse of spent fuel, and prospects for full material recycling.

In this context, Orano’s treatment and recycling facilities are a cornerstone for extending the treatment-recycling strategy beyond 2040 through:
  • the “Sustainability/Resilience” program to maintain the operational condition of the existing La Hague and Melox facilities;
  • the Future Back-End program at the La Hague site, aiming for a new MOX fuel fabrication plant by 2040 and a new spent fuel treatment plant by 2045/2050.

In parallel, Orano supports the developers of new reactor concepts by providing fuel supply services and spent fuel management.

Targeted Alpha Therapy

Orano Med, a major player in the development of targeted alpha therapies

One ambition: to position Orano Med as a key player in targeted alpha therapy

Founded on an unrivalled expertise in extracting and purifying lead-212 (212Pb), Orano Med is using the element’s alpha-emitter properties to develop a new generation of targeted cancer therapies. This approach, known as targeted alpha therapy, couples 212Pb with a variety of biological molecules (including peptides and antibodies) that selectively target cancer cells, thus limiting the impact on the surrounding healthy cells.


With a substantial portfolio of treatments under development that can target a variety of cancerous tumors, and a reliable 212Pb supply chain, Orano Med aims to lead the way in targeted alpha therapies, in particular for patients for whom currently there is no therapeutic solution.

  • Unique expertise in extracting and purifying 212Pb.
  • Phase II clinical trials under way with promising results for the treatment of neuroendocrine tumors. Another Phase-I clinical trial in progress.
  • Around ten international scientific partners, and other in-house developments restricted to Orano Med.

Stable isotopes

A laboratory dedicated to the production of ultra-pure stable isotopes

Since the end of 2023, Orano has been producing ultra-pure stable isotopes for the international market.
On the strength of its know-how and of its expertise in cutting-edge technologies in the transformation, conversion and enrichment of uranium, Orano has developed the production of stable isotopes — such as silicon-28 or xenon-129 — in a unique laboratory in France.

Stable isotopes, which are non-radioactive forms of atoms, are used for many applications and demand for them is continuing to grow. They are used in particular in the medical sector (medical imaging and targeted internal radiotherapy), in the industrial sector (semiconductors, quantum), and in the field of fundamental research (neutrino characterization).

 

Support for start-ups, VSBs and SMEs

Initiatives that foster the emergence and growth of innovative ecosystems

An ambition: to develop the industrial, economic, and entrepreneurial ecosystem in the regions where Orano operates.
Orano activates different modes of collaboration and support for startups, micro-enterprises, and SMEs:
  • Test facilities
    The group’s plants serve as real-world sites for testing and validating innovative technologies developed by startups, at industrial scale — helping strengthen their positioning or giving them access to new markets in energy and environmental transitions, circular economy, space, healthcare, or Industry 4.0.

  • Unique expertise
    Through the Immersive Startups program, Orano makes its employees available to provide deeptech startups with fresh perspectives and the expertise they need to tackle their specific challenges.

    >> Learn more about the Immersive Startups program


  • Funding
    Investing in small companies to anticipate breakthrough technologies and explore new markets, particularly through Orano Venture Fund, Orano’s investment fund, which helps accelerate innovation for deeptech startups.

    • >> Learn more about Orano Venture Fund
Last update on 3/31/2023
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