Over the last 30 years, Framatome-Anp has acquired the necessary expertise to not only become the world's largest vendor of nuclear power plant and fuel assemblies but also to provide extensive repair and maintenance services to customers world-wide.
As part of the company's strategic orientation to expand its activities, Framatome-Anp's Nuclear Services Division offers a complete range of decommissioning and waste management services.

Framatome-Anp's Decommissioning and Waste Management Department is made up of a core team of experienced engineers who bring together a wide range of skills from across the company to provide specialist services and offer innovative and cost effective solutions to meet client specific needs. From small to large projects, this is achieved by rapidly mobilising multi-skilled teams with the necessary expertise while maintaining a continuous dialogue with the client.

Furthermore, Framatome-Anp can call upon the assistance of the CEA (French Atomic Energy Authority), one of its own parent companies, for expert help should this be required. In addition, Framatome-Anp signed a specific agreement with SCK·CEN at Mol (Belgium) to collaborate in the field of decommissioning and waste processing.
Framatome-Anp strives to maintain its lead position by offering its clients a better service through the core skills and capabilities offered by the Decommissioning and Waste Management Department which include the following.

From basic design to operation, Framatome-Anp offers project management, technical design expertise, methodology, safety considerations and manufacturing as well as experienced field teams for erection, commissioning and operation. World-wide projects with local and international partners that remain in compliance with local regulatory requirements include :

•   Clean-up of the Vandellos 1 GCR waste storage silos, Spain
    Client : HIFRENSA
•   Decommissioning of the Brennilis NPP, France
    Client : CEA and EDF
•   Dismantling of Fuel Pond of St Laurent A2, France and DFR at Dounreay, UK
    Clients : EDF and UKAEA
•   Removal of spent fuel storage racks at Maanshan NPP, Taiwan and Penly NPP, France
    Clients : TPC and EDF
•   Dismantling of the primary cooling circuits of the G2/G3 GCR's at Marcoule, France
    Client : CEA
  
•   Spent fuel dry storage systems (Nuhoms) for Metzamor NPP, Armenia and Chernobyl RMBK,
    Ukraine
    Client : ANPPC and BERD
•   Conditioning of gas treatment absorbents at Bugey 1 GCR, France
    Client : EDF
•   Dismantling of Primary Circuits of Dounreay Fast Reactor at Dounreay, UK
    Client : UKAEA
•   Breeder Fuel Removal at Dounreay, UK
    Client : UKAEA

Product knowledge, problem identification, safety implications, and good engineering practices are essential in a successful design study for dismantling, waste retrieval and treatment applications.
Framatome-Anp's achievements in this area include :

•   Centraco LLW incineration and conditioning centre at Marcoule, France
    Client : SOCODEI
•   Incineration facility for Pu contaminated graphite
    Client : CEA
•   Incineration facility for contaminated woodlands around Tchernobyl
    Client : EEC
•   Waste retrieval process for the Shaft and Wet Silo at Dounreay, UK
    Client : UKAEA
•   ILW retrieval and processing from the vaults at Berkeley, UK
    Client : Nuclear Electric
•   Deconstruction design methodology and cost assessment for a 900 MWe PWR primary circuit
    Client : EDF

In their commitment to remain at the forefront of advanced technology, Framatome-Anp, devotes some 170 million U.S. dollars annually to nuclear-related R&D projects.
Some of this investment has been used to finance decommissioning and waste management-related projects.

•   Fluidised bed incineration of reactor graphite and spent ion exchange resins - Framatome-Anp R&D
    programme + client CEA and EDF
•   Vitrification process for LLW - Framatome-Anp R&D programme
•   Graphite crushing and metal separation process - Framatome-Anp R&D programme
•   Contaminated sodium destruction at CEA's Rapsodie FBR, France and UKAEA's PFR at
    Dounreay, UK - Framatome-Anp licence from CEA
•   Chemical decontamination and chemical cleaning processes for NPP components - Framatome-Anp
    R&D programme + contracts awarded from various clients
•   Plasma arc, HP water jet, EDM and mechanical cutting processes for primary circuit
    components and reactor internals - Framatome-Anp R&D programme + contracts awarded from
    various clients
•   Nuclear Robotic tools and applications - Framatome-Anp R&D programme + contracts awarded from
    various clients

From design to construction, NOVATOME - the fast reactor specialist division of Framatome-Anp - acted as prime contractor for the CEA's ISAI, ATALANTE and STAR irradiated fuel and high level waste examination and conditioning facilities.
Highly specialised teams in this field undertake project management; conceptual and detailed design; safety reports; and site supervision.

Framatome-Anp's high-tech manufacturing capability is second to none. Not only does it manufacture the main reactor primary circuit components, but through its subsidiaries NFM and ATEA, manufactures a range of products for nuclear applications, including remote handling equipment; shielded cells and containers; wet and dry spent fuel storage; and waste characterisation systems.