New life for nuclear packaging

Orano NPS reconditions TN Gemini casks for compliance for Nuclear Waste Services in the United Kingdom

Regulatory News:

Orano NPS, specializing in packaging design of and transport of nuclear materials, reconditioned three TN GEMINI^TM casks for the customer, Nuclear Waste Services (NWS), updating their compliance to the latest regulatory requirements. This successful operation is an integral part of Orano's commitment-based approach which aims to develop recycling, whether it be for nuclear materials, strategic materials or equipment.

The containers thus reconditioned now make it possible to transport legacy drummed waste from the Magnox site (Harwell) to the Sellafield plant in Great Britain.

The project entrusted to Orano NPS included the assessment of cask conditions, their modernization, repairs and maintenance, as well as their compliance with the latest applicable requirements. Orano NPS also developed two new configurations for the TN GEMINI^TM cavity in accordance with Magnox needs, as well as the associated tools. The project included in particular interface tests between these new internal configurations and the rest of the packaging.

The TN GEMINI^TM is a reference for the transport of nuclear waste due to its transport capacity and adaptability, as well as its high level of internationally-recognized safety. Orano NPS provides its customers with know-how based on more than twenty years of feedback gathered from the use of TN GEMINI^TM packaging in France.

For Thibault Louvet, Head of Orano NPS Customers & Strategy “This new cask reconditioning service allows us to offer our customers a more competitive offer coupled with faster availability vis-à-vis full packaging development. We are considering the expansion of this activity for several European customers to save raw materials used in cask manufacturing”.

According to our customer Steve Chester, Head of WMS Programmes and Packaging at Nuclear Waste Services: “The Gemini fleet was brought back into service specifically for its role in this programme and the launch of shipments is a major milestone for the NDA Site Decommissioning and National Waste Management Strategy, its Nuclear Material Transfer Programme, and for NWS’s Type B Packaging Programme. The collaborative teamwork proved vital to the success of the project with an integrated programme and project management strategic approach adopted, led by NWS, with Sellafield, Magnox and Orano NPS, to manage risk and respective site interfaces, and drive efficiencies wherever possible”.

About Orano

As a recognized international operator in the field of nuclear materials, Orano delivers solutions to address present and future global energy and health challenges. Its expertise and mastery of cutting-edge technologies enable Orano to offer its customers high value-added products and services throughout the entire fuel cycle. Every day, the Orano group’s 17,000 employees draw on their skills, unwavering dedication to safety and constant quest for innovation, with the commitment to develop know-how in the transformation and control of nuclear materials, for the climate and for a healthy and resource-efficient world, now and tomorrow.

Orano, giving nuclear energy its full value.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221108005998/en/