Orano and the CEA validate high-performance magnet production on their pilot line 

One year after its inauguration in Grenoble on September 19, 2025, the pilot line jointly operated by Orano and the CEA at the CEA’s Grenoble site (Isère, France) is delivering on its ambitions. The results obtained demonstrate mastery of the process for manufacturing neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) permanent magnets, among the highest-performing magnets currently available on the global market. The significance of these results lies not only in the performance of the magnets produced, but also in the expertise acquired in manufacturing them. This first milestone paves the way for the future incorporation of raw materials from the circular economy.

In particular, the platform has demonstrated the reliable production of N45UH grade magnets offering some of the highest performance levels available, confirming the maturity of the process developed by Orano and the CEA. This grade meets the requirements of the most demanding applications in strategic sectors such as electric mobility, low-carbon energy, high-tech industry, robotics and defense, notably for key components including motors, generators, actuators and magnetic sensors.

Mastery of the process now makes it possible to produce other magnet grades for a variety of industrial applications, helping to secure European supply chains. This achievement demonstrates the feasibility of developing leading technological expertise and manufacturing capabilities in France and Europe in a particularly strategic industrial segment. Worldwide, only a small number of players currently possess the full range of expertise required to manufacture these high-performance magnets.

The achievement also illustrates the complementary expertise brought together by the two partners: Orano’s capabilities in industrialization and the control of complex processes, combined with the CEA’s longstanding scientific expertise in magnet design and advanced materials for energy applications.

Guillaume Dureau, Orano Senior Executive Vice President, Projects & Engineering, Innovation, R&D and New Activities, said: "Beyond the performance achieved in just one year, the key takeaway is that we now have mastery of every aspect of the manufacturing process. By combining our expertise with that of the CEA, we have developed, qualified and demonstrated an integrated technology covering every stage in the production of NdFeB permanent magnets. Building on this progress, we are now in a position to offer technology and know-how, with the ambition of supporting the future development of industrial capacity for the production of high-performance permanent magnets.”

Philippe Stohr, Director of the Department of Energy at the CEA, said: “The results achieved on this pilot line show that the ambition we set out a year ago is now close to becoming a reality with the successful production of this magnet grade. This marks an important milestone toward establishing in Europe the capability to master high-performance permanent magnet manufacturing processes, while preparing to integrate them into a circular-economy approach. This platform is a major strategic asset for France and Europe. It is fully integrated into the French industrial value chain, from rare-earth refining through to permanent magnet production. It must now help accelerate the development of this industry, particularly as part of France’s national ‘Rare Earths and Permanent Magnets’ resilience plan.”

Orano and the CEA are now continuing their work to further optimize process performance and accelerate the incorporation of secondary raw materials from recycling.

Award winners under the "France Relance" recovery plan and the European Union's “Horizon Europe” research and innovation program, the project is supported by two complementary collaborative consortia in Europe and France - Magellan[1] and Magnolia[2] - which are developing various technologies for manufacturing magnets from recycled critical metals.