EDF Targets $221 Billion Nuclear Decommissioning Sector

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--French energy major Électricité de France S.A. (EPA:EDF) (Paris, France) has set its sights on capturing a sizeable share of the global nuclear power decommissioning market, worth an estimated 200 billion euros ($221 billion).

The company, which is currently planning to decommission nine of its 58 reactors operating in France, believes it can become a major player on the global stage. Speaking to reporters recently, EDF's executive director for nuclear and thermal plants, Dominique Miniere, said: "Nuclear decommissioning is a very important market with opportunities for the international and local nuclear sector."

The market for decommissioning in Europe is expected to grow sharply in the coming years, with France aiming to cut its reliance on nuclear power from 75% to 50%, and Germany aiming to ditch all of its nuclear power in the coming decade. In April, Industrial Info reported that Europe was facing a bill of around 253 billion euros ($279 billion) for the decommissioning and clean up of nuclear power plants, almost double what the European Union (EU) had budgeted. For additional information, see April 11, 2016, article--Europe Faces Massive Nuclear Clean-up Bill.

Sylvain Granger, EDF director of decommissioning and waste, said: "In Europe, the nuclear decommissioning market could take off in a couple of years." He noted that Germany will be a key market.

EDF said it will focus on project management and the processing of low-level radioactive waste and metals. In April, EDF paid $44 million to Swedish specialist Studsvik AB (0GO6:LSE) (Stockholm) for its low-level radioactive waste operations in the U.K and Sweden. They also agreed to work together on decommissioning and waste management. EDF now controls Studsvik's waste treatment assets and facilities for metal recycling, incineration and pyrolysis situated at the Studsvik site, near Nykoping in Sweden, as well as the Metal Recycling Facility (MRF) near Workington in the U.K..

At the time, EDF's Granger said: "By combining Socodei and Studsvik assets, EDF will be able to offer a wide range of services in waste management and nuclear plant decommissioning and to strengthen its presence in Europe in this growing market."

EDF has previously estimated that it costs 400 million euros ($442.1 million) and takes about 15 years to fully dismantle a 900-megawatt (MW) pressurised water reactor. The company has set aside 23.6 billion euros ($26 billion) toward the decommissioning costs of its full nuclear fleet in France, which it expects to cost around 60 billion euros ($66.3 billion) in total.

The company is in the process of decommissioning its first French nuclear reactor at the Chooz plant.

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