Orano - Annual Activity Report 2024 183 SUSTAINABILITY STATEMENT 4 Environmental information 2024 IN ACTION: End of dismantling projects for customers Internationally, the Orano Decommissioning Services LLC teams successfully completed a global project: the dismantling and transportation of the pressurized water reactor at the Crystal River 3 nuclear power plant in Florida in the United States. Thanks to the involvement and cross-functional knowhow of the local teams of Orano and its partners, all stages of this flagship dismantling project were completed in less than four years. This is a record time for this type of project, which began in June 2020, thanks to the implementation of a patented segmentation process that has drastically limited the amount of waste and transport required for its disposal. In Germany, Orano and its partner EWN finalized the dismantling of the internal vessels of the Brunsbüttel BWR reactor. The dismantling equipment was transferred to the Krümmel plant. The completion of these projects confirms the group’s expertise in dismantling the cores of pressurized and boiling water reactors. Orano has been involved in a quarter of all dismantling projects carried out worldwide to date. The dismantling of five other reactor cores in Germany is continuing in accordance with the commitments made. Remediate mining sites Remediation and post-mining management are an integral part of the mining cycle. It is the group’s responsibility, as operator, to limit the impact of the former sites on the environment and the population. Orano Mining undertakes to plan and design the end-of-life of the sites in consultation with the authorities and affected stakeholders, implement all measures related to respect for the environment and social issues and guarantee the financial provisions so that the commitments made for the closure and remediation of sites can be met. Mining requires the development of infrastructure (energy supply, roads, uranium ore processing facilities, underground and surface mines, etc.) that have an impact on the natural environment that must be assessed, reduced and controlled. In order to anticipate risks, remediation is taken into account from the exploration and development phases of mining projects. Although some remediation work is carried out during operations, and the studies are updated throughout the activity, most of the technical actions take place when operations cease. The social and societal implications of the closure of a site are taken into account as early as possible and are the subject of coordination with the competent authorities and consultation with all internal and external stakeholders. The main objectives of a remediation plan are to: ● ensure the long-term stability of structures (dikes, underground mining works, etc.) in terms of public safety and health; ● minimize the residual impact of former activities; ● limit the surface area of land subject to use restrictions; ● ensure landscape integration to preserve local biodiversity and allow potential reuse of the site according to the level of access; ● enable good post-operational social and societal management; and ● promote the remediation of the site. All Orano Mining sites apply these general principles in a specific remediation plan adapted to local conditions. Since the beginning of its mining activities, Orano Mining has carried out the dismantling of facilities, the remediation and the monitoring of its former uranium mining sites in France, Gabon, the United States and Canada. Orano Mining implemented in 2024 the remediation plan for the Cominak site in Niger, following the closure of the site on March 31, 2021. 2024 IN ACTION: Transfer of the Cluff Lake site to the Institutional Control Program (ICP) of the province of Saskatchewan (Canada) In Canada in May 2024, Orano transferred the Cluff Lake site to the Institutional Control Program (ICP) of the province of Saskatchewan as well as the funds necessary for its monitoring and maintenance. Created in 2007, the mission of the ICP is to facilitate coordination between the provincial Ministry of the Environment and the Canadian Ministry of Energy and Resources. It is involved in the management of remediated and declassified mining sites and plants. This transfer to provincial crown lands follows the decision by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) to revoke the operating license for the Cluff mine held by Orano Canada Inc. in May 2023. The Cluff Lake mine produced more than 28,000 metric tons of uranium between 1979 and 2002. The site included two underground mines, four surface mines, a tailings management facility, a mill and other industrial facilities. Completely declassified, remediated and planted (replanting of local plant species), the site has been open to the public since 2013. Today, it is considered a model for the remediation of a modern uranium mine. Orano managed almost all of the French former uranium mining sites (235 out of a total of 248), whether or not they were operated by the group between 1948 and 2001. The Post-Mining France teams ensure the environmental monitoring and proper functioning of the water treatment plants on these sites, in order to guarantee the absence of significant health and environmental impacts from the former mining sites. A Research and Development program dedicated to monitoring the historical storage of residues and the treatment of water from the group’s sites makes it possible to develop less energyintensive processes, by reducing the use of chemical products as much as possible and, in particular, to use passive treatment systems. These processes make it possible to operate efficiently while reducing the environmental footprint.
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