Framatome has inaugurated a new CERCA workshop in Romans-sur-Isère (France), dedicated to the fabrication of fuel for research reactors and targets for medical isotopes. The ceremony was attended by numerous customers, elected officials and economic stakeholders from the region.
The Framatome site in Romans-sur-Isère includes the CERCA workshops, which are organized around a "uranium zone" where compacted powder is produced to form fuel elements and medical-use targets. As part of its investment policy and to meet expected growth over the coming years, the site decided to replace the existing uranium zone by a new uranium zone with new equipment, while bringing it up to the latest standards in nuclear safety and security.
“We have leveraged over 65 years of experience to enhance processes in the new facility. Safety, security, environmental considerations and the reliability of the installations were the primary focus,” said Lionel Gaiffe, Senior Executive Vice President, Fuel Business Unit at Framatome. “We can be proud of this new facility which will ensure the supply of fuel for research reactors and medical targets for our customers for decades to come.”
Since 1959, CERCA has been developing its activity on the site with a steady growth. Today, CERCA is the leading supplier of fuel to research reactors, supplying almost all European research reactors and a significant share of research reactors across the globe. More than 20,000 fuel elements have been manufactured by CERCA for research reactors across the globe. 75% of the world's technetium-99m scans are performed using medical targets produced by CERCA.
