Areva signs MOX supply contract with Kansai

24 November 2008

France's Areva has signed a contract to supply 32 mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel assemblies for use in units 3 and 4 of Kansai Electric Power Co's Takahama nuclear power plant in Fukui prefecture, Japan. The contract was signed between Areva's Melox SA, to fabricate the fuel, and Nuclear Fuel Industries (NFI), which will be responsible for designing the fuel with the utility. The fuel will be fabricated at Areva's Melox plant using plutonium recovered from reprocessing of Kansai's used fuel at Areva's La Hague plant. The contract comes as part of Japan's nuclear programme to recycle used fuel. The latest contract with Areva follows agreements with Japanese utilities Chubu Electric, Kyushu Electric and Shikoku Electric. In April 2008, Kansai awarded Areva a contract to supply 16 MOX fuel assemblies for use in Takahama units 3 and 4.