Orano la Hague: visit by the Minister Delegate for Industry

1/14/2026

On Monday, January 12, 2026, Sébastien Martin, Minister Delegate for Industry, made a visit to the la Hague site. The visit was attended by Nicolas Maes, Senior Executive Vice President of Orano, Nicolas Ferrand, Senior Executive Vice President of the Aval du futur program, Stéphanie Gaiffe, Director of the La Hague site, and numerous elected officials and members of the press.

This was an opportunity to introduce the minister to the site and its activities, and to the Aval du futur program. The visit preceded the 3rd meeting of the Aval du futur program Strategic Committee held at the Saint Lô Prefecture.

The visit was attended by Nicolas Maes, Senior Executive Vice President of Orano

The renewal of nuclear fuel processing and recycling facilities is a collective endeavor and a challenge for the country, the region, and the industry. This was the message brought by Sébastien Martin, Minister Delegate for Industry, whom Orano had the pleasure of welcoming to the La Hague site ahead of the Aval du futur program strategic committee meeting in Saint Lô.
Nicolas Maes, Chief Executive Officer of Orano

The Aval du futur program Strategic Committee, at the heart of the ministerial visit

Established at the end of 2024, the Aval du futur program Strategic Committee (or COSTRAT) offered a forum for presenting the prospects for industrial job creation linked to future projects in La Manche, and deciding on a series of strategic guidelines for 2026.

What is the Strategic Committee for the Aval du futur program (COSTRAT)?

COSTRAT was primarily established to monitor the progress of the Aval du futur program. This committee brings together Orano and its partners: the Normandy Regional Council, the Manche Departmental Council, and the municipalities of La Hague and Cherbourg-en-Cotentin. Its remit includes forecasting the project's impacts on housing, employment, and transportation. In addition, COSTRAT incorporates the needs and insights of Naval Group and EDF, the two other major contracting companies in the Cotentin region.

+ 6,000 jobs in the region between 2025 and 2034

Between 2025 and 2034, 6,000 additional industrial jobs will be created in La Manche, half of which will be based at the industrial sites of Orano La Hague, EDF Flamanville, and Naval Group. To enable this scaling up, following the meeting on January 12, the minister announced three structural measures for the region:

The forthcoming appointment of a coordinator dedicated to steering the Aval du futur program
The development of a strategic regional plan
The creation of an employment observatory

Ramp-up of the Aval du futur program

Spearheaded by Orano, the Aval du futur program aims to renew the industrial facilities devoted to the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle in order to ensure the long-term viability of the strategy for processing and recycling spent fuel, well beyond 2040. This program is part of the ongoing revival of the French nuclear industry and follows on from the decisions taken by the Nuclear Policy Councils on February 26, 2024, and March 17, 2025.

Quoting Nicolas Ferrand, Senior Executive Vice President of the Aval du futur program: Aval du Futur program is, of course, Orano's program, but above all it is a program of major importance for the country and the entire nuclear industry. The plant we are designing today will be in operation beyond 2100. It will be a tremendous legacy to leave to our children and our grandchildren.

Stéphanie Gaiffe, Director of the La Hague site, underlined the challenges for the site: The performance of our current facilities will be essential in supporting Aval du futur program. That is why we have launched the sustainability and resilience program to extend and secure the production capacity beyond 2040, thereby enabling Aval du futur program to prepare and build our industrial assets of tomorrow. This is a challenge of the utmost importance that we share with all stakeholders in the region.