France will continue its treatment-recycling strategy for used nuclear fuel beyond 2040, with plans to extend the life of existing recycling plants and to launch studies for a new mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel fabrication plant and a new used fuel processing plant, the Minister for the Economy, Finance, Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, Bruno Le Maire, announced on Friday.

Speaking during a visit to Orano’s La Hague recycling site, Le Maire said that a sustainability and resilience programme will be launched to extend the life of the La Hague and Melox recycling plants beyond 2040. Furthermore, there will be studies into a new MOX fuel fabrication plant at the La Hague site alongside studies for a new used fuel reprocessing plant at La Hague.

La Maire said: “A new page in French nuclear history is about to open. The time for large-scale national projects has returned and the nuclear energy sector has a central role to play.”

In a post on X, La Maire added that “thanks to this strategy, we will ultimately reduce the volume of nuclear waste by 75%” and “nuclear power occupies a central place in the decarbonization of our economy, the strengthening of our energy sovereignty and the reindustrialization of our country”.

The French nuclear programme has opted for a closed fuel cycle, reprocessing used nuclear fuel to recover uranium and plutonium for reuse. At La Hague, reusable materials are separated, with plutonium recovered from processing reused in MOX fuels manufactured by Orano at the Melox plant.

According to Orano, 10% of nuclear electricity in France is generated by recycling reusable materials in the form of MOX fuel.

Nicholas Maes, CEO of Orano, said: “I am delighted by these announcements, which confirm the broad thrusts of French policy on the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle, and which provide for major investments for the Orano la Hague site.”