Name of the Project
Marcoule nuclear research site waste project.

Location
The project is located near Bagnols-sur-Cèze, in the Gard department of France.

Client
Atomic & Alternative Energies Commission.

Project Description
The project entails the recovery and encapsulation of low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste at the Marcoule nuclear research site.

The contract covers 50 t of waste resulting from the treatment of fuels used in former plutonium-producing reactors. It comprises magnesium cladding material – from treatment operations at the natural uranium-graphite gas fuels used in the G1, G2 and G3 reactors at the Marcoule site – which has been stored in a silo for more than 50 years.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Value
Not stated.

Duration
Five years.

Latest Developments
Areva Projets SAS and the Wood Group have been awarded the contract to recover and encapsulate the radioactive waste at the Marcoule site.

Wood will design a robotic arm to remove the waste from the silo and a manufacturing unit to encapsulate the material.

Once treated, the waste packages will be prepared for long-term storage in a geological disposal facility.

The five-year contract covers project management, the safety case, detailed design, commissioning and the first six months of operations.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Areva Projets SAS and the Wood Group (recovery and encapsulation of radioactive waste).

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Atomic & Alternative Energies Commission, tel +33 1 64 50 20 11 or email presse@cea.fr.