Switzerland: AREVA and KKL sign a long-term contract to manage spent nuclear fuel from the Leibstadt power plant

Press release

NUCLEAR POWER / BACK-END

January 30, 2009

AREVA and the Swiss electric utility, KKL, signed a contract on January 29, 2009, aimed at providing KKL with casks for the interim storage of spent nuclear fuel from the Leibstadt power plant (Switzerland).

The contract helps consolidate AREVA's leading position on the Swiss market for the supply of casks for transportation and interim storage of nuclear material. It is to be applied for the duration of the power plant's operation, ultimately resulting in all spent fuel being removed, with these operations to continue until 2049.

According to the terms of the contract, AREVA will provide KKL with 15 casks, and the customer is entitled to exercise options for additional casks every ten years. The contract could thus potentially amount to over 130 million Euros.

For Catherine Weber-Guevara, Executive Vice President of AREVA’s Logistics Business Unit, "this contract confirms AREVA's positioning as worldwide leader in the nuclear fuel cycle. It is testament to the group's ability to innovate and provide its customers with bespoke solutions for operating their sites and managing their spent fuel." 

For over 45 years, AREVA has designed and supplied transportation and interim storage casks to customers throughout the world. The group provides nuclear material transportation for the entire fuel cycle.