Two Orano nuclear installations officially delicensed

Orano hereby announces the administrative delicensing by the French Nuclear Safety Authority (Autorité de sûreté nucléaire – ASN) of two basic nuclear installations [BNIs] (Installations Nucléaires de Base – INB) on the Veurey-Voroize site, previously operated by a subsidiary of the group, the Société Industrielle de Combustible Nucléaire (SICN).

The delicensing is the final step in the dismantling of a former nuclear site. It consists of a series of regulatory operations with the purpose of removing the installation of the list of BNIs and of lifting the application of the legal and administrative regime specific to these installations. It is only granted once the nuclear licensee has proved that the final state set out in advance by the ASN has been reached.

The delicensing application file was the subject of discussions between the local information committee (Commission Locale d’Information – CLI), the prefecture and surrounding municipalities. A public hearing was also held when establishing public easements.

At the same time, Orano is committed to an approach devoted to the redevelopment of sites of former industrial operations. The land, which remains the property of the group, now hosts industrial activities in the sector of public works and the manufacturing of cutting-edge equipment for aerospace and defense.

Alain Vandercruyssen, Senior Executive Vice President in charge of Orano’s Dismantling and Services activities, declared: "This work carried out over a long timescale is proof of the group's long-term commitment and its sustainable development of sites at their end of their lifetime. Whether it was when carrying out works to dismantle the former industrial installations or providing assistance with delicensing procedures, our teams have demonstrated a high level of dedication to ensure this project was completed successfully. Today, it makes us very proud to see the former SICN site given a new lease of industrial life."

• 1960 - 2002: SICN carries out metallurgical studies and fuel fabrication activities for France's first nuclear reactors (UNGG-type Gas-Cooled Reactors and Fast Neutron Reactors) on the Veurey-Voroize site before reorienting its production towards the machining of uranium metal and manufacturing of special machines.
• 2002: final shutdown of industrial activities on the Veurey-Voroize site.
• 2006 – 2012: conducting of operations for the dismantling and cleanup of the nuclear installations.
• 2013 – 2019: procedures for the administrative delicensing of the site and the redevelopment of the land.