ENGIE and the CEA renew their cooperation in nuclear research

04/03/2018

News

Isabelle Kocher, CEO of the ENGIE group, and Daniel Verwaerde, Administrator General of the CEA (the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission), have signed up to continue their Research and Development agreement in the nuclear energy field.

In extension of the cooperation which has linked ENGIE and the CEA since 2007, a new agreement has been signed, which commits the partners for two years in the following technical fields:

  • improvement in the performance and safety of reactors;
  • development of knowledge about change phenomena in materials, equipment and components, including reactor vessel and internals;
  • dismantling, deconstruction and clean-up of nuclear facilities;
  • control over radiation protection and discharge and waste management.

In 2018, the work will consist in finalising studies on molecules used to improve the flexibility of operating the coolant circuits of reactors and developing new technologies for conditioning waste. This research will supplement the very positive outcome of the work undertaken over the past five years by ENGIE and the CEA, in particular through R&D projects related to the issues of clean-up and dismantling.

The extension of the cooperation agreement with the CEA confirms ENGIE’s wish to continue to develop its technical and human skills in the nuclear industry.

Being an actor for over 50 years in nuclear energy ENGIE covers, through its experience and expertise, the entire nuclear energy value chain. The Group operates seven nuclear units in Belgium. In addition to this expertise as a nuclear operator, ENGIE is strategically placed and active in the delivery of services – engineering and design, installation, fuel management, maintenance, the management of radioactive waste and decommissioning -, with 7,000 engineers and technicians who have specific nuclear skills and it recorded turnover of EUR 860 million in 2017.

For a long time, the Nuclear Energy Division of the CEA has carried out research on industrial issues aimed at improving the operating life, performance, availability and safety of reactors as well as waste management, clean-up and dismantling. Relying on this research, the CEA contributes its expertise, its skills and its experimental resources as well as its software platforms, tailored to the R&D studies undertaken in its cooperation with ENGIE.