France's Orano Group announced that it has signed a cooperation agreement with Japan's Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) to strengthen their cooperation on the decommissioning of nuclear facilities at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant site. The agreement was signed on 11 September.

Orano said it “wishes to strengthen its long-term relationship with Tepco, whose choice confirms interest in our solutions and our expertise in the dismantling of nuclear installations and waste management”.

According to the agreement, Orano will share its experience relating to the design, manufacture and operation of buildings dedicated to nuclear waste recovery and conditioning. Orano would also provide Tepco teams with its technical expertise in the operation of facilities devoted to the treatment, management and storage of radioactive residues. Work under the agreement will be led by Orano teams specialising in dismantling, clean-up and waste management.
 
Orano has had a presence in Japan for 50 years and works with its electrical utility customers through the nuclear fuel cycle, from uranium supply to used fuel recycling and the supply of Mox assemblies. Orano has strong links with two Japan Nuclear Fuels Ltd and Mitsubishi Heavy industries and is well established in Japan. Orano (then Areva) formed in 2014 a joint venture with the Japanese group Atox to participate in the dismantling of the Fukushima NPP.


Photo: On 11 September in Tokyo, Orano signed a cooperation agreement with Tepco concerning decommissioning of the nuclear facilities at the Fukushima site