• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Cadarache

13108 St Paul Lez Durance cedex
33 1 42 25 70 00

COGEMA mixed uranium / plutonium oxide fuel (MOX) fuel fabrication capabilities include the COGEMA-Cadarache facility and the Melox plant at Marcoule and Belgonucleaire plant at Dessel. The Cadarache plant fuel fabrication capacity reaches 40 tons of MOX fuels per year, of which 10 tons are FBR fuels. This plant has already processed more than 30 tons of plutonium in the form of LMR and LWR fuels. This result gives Cadarache a flawless industrial reference in plutonium recycling.

The Cadarache plant went into operation in 1962, nearly 20 years before more stringent seismic protection requirements were enforced in the region. In June 2000, the French environment and industry ministers agreed to the COGEMA Group's commitment to present a series of proposals, including the future closing of the site. These proposals were to take into account all industrial, economic and labor issues of this high-techonology plant, which employs over 300 people.

The "Jules Horowitz" reactor project - named after the French reactor physics research pioneer - was launched in June 1996. As France's existing research reactors of this kind are becoming out-dated (Osiris went critical in 1966; Siloe in 1963), the construction of this new reactor should begin in 2001. The Jules Horowitz Reactor should be operational by 2005, at which time it will be almost the only research reactor left in Europe. Located in Cadarache, this 100 MW light water reactor will be designed to support development of PWR technology through the middle of the next century. As a materials and fuel test mean, it will help design next generation of PWRs and conduct research providing technical bases to ensure that critical reactor components, safety systems and structures will provide adequate reliability as the reactors age. Research results will be useful in assessing safety implications of age-related degradation. Thus it will also contribute towards a reduction in operating costs, improvement of reactor flexibility and reduction of waste volumes.

All of the Technicatome test facilities are located at Cadarache, including prototype and experimental reactors to validate concepts of nuclear reactors for marine propulsion. Mechanical and electric buildings for the development of different components (pumps) and equipment, the overall assembly and the maintenance of the embarked hardware are also at Cadarache, as well as a fuels workshop for the entire prototype engines and for the series equipping the SNLE, SNA and the aircraft carrier Charles of Gaulle. Cadarache is also the location of a center of training of the crews of the National Navy to the behaviour of the embarked reactors, in relation to the School of the Military Applications of the Atomic Energy of Cherbourg. Basic planning studies continue on the RES, a new land-based nuclear test reactor at Cadarache, to ensure support for the current and future nuclear fleet. The reactor is expected to enter active duty at the end of 2006. The pool (storage and used fuel) entered construction phase in 1999.