Orano and Energoatom sign enrichment services agreement

Friday, 7 March 2025

The agreement, which guarantees a diversified supply of enrichment services for fuel for Ukraine's nuclear power plants, was signed by Nicolas Maes, CEO of Orano, pictured above left, and Petro Kotin, acting CEO of Energoatom, above right.

Maes said: "We are proud to accompany Energoatom in its development to reinforce Ukraine's energy independence. This agreement reflects our commitment to provide our customer with support and thus contribute to European energy security."

Kotin said: "Energoatom continues to strengthen Ukraine's energy security. Uranium enrichment is one of the important stages in the process of nuclear fuel production, and the agreement signed allows our state to plan a stable, bright future, relying on the operation of nuclear power plants."

Orano is in the process of extending the production capacity at its Georges Besse 2 uranium enrichment plant in France by 30% to meet growing international demand.

Ukraine has 15 reactors - including the six at Zaporizhzhia which have been under Russian military control since early March 2022 - whose combined capacity generates about half of its electricity. The country is planning expansion of its nuclear fleet and no longer uses Russian fuel.