Fuel fabrication. Fuel fabrication involves multiple steps and includes conversion of UF6 (LWRs and GCRs) or U3O8 (HWRs) into UO2, fabrication (pressing and sintering) of pellets/pins, fabrication of zirconium cladding tubes, inserting the fuel in the tubes and building fuel assemblies. Several of these steps may take place in the same facility or in different facilities in a supply chain. Appendix B-4 provides information on the facilities performing each of these functions, along with their capacity, owner and operator. The total capacity is roughly 18,000 tonnes/year, compared to an estimated need of 10,000-11,000 tonnes/year (~1/3rd HWR and 2/3rd LWR). While this activity was not able to systematically identify supplier/customer relationships, a number of relationships were noted. The best assumption for the remaining relationships is that fuel is obtained from the reactor vendor. The specific arrangements for fuel fabrication identified include: • AREVA claims to supply 35% of the market for light water reactor assemblies and to be supplying fuel assemblies for 125 of the world’s 288 operating PWRs and BWRs (excluding VVERs). o AREVA will supply fuel for 25 years for the new reactors they seek to construct in India • Russia’s Rosatom TVEL claims to have 17% of the fuel fabrication market [75]. TVEL supplies fuel to power reactors in Russia, Armenia, Bulgaria, China, Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, India, Iran, Slovakia, Sweden, and Ukraine, and jointly with AREVA to Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, and UK. o Russia’s TVEL agreed in 2009 to continue to supplying assemblies to Ukraine in the short term and to assist in a domestic fabrication facility in Ukraine in the longer term [76] o Russia will supply fuel for the reactors it will construct in Bangladesh and Turkey • Westinghouse claims to manufacture more types of nuclear fuel than any other supplier, including being a single-source provider for PWRs, BWRs, AGRs, and VVERs. A listing of customers was not available. o Westinghouse is supplying assemblies to Ukraine using the fabrication facility in Sweden [77] o Westinghouse has agreed to help CNNC produce fuel for the AP1000 plants being built in China [78] o Westinghouse supplies fuel to South Africa [79] o Westinghouse supplies fuel to EDF for use in French reactors, using facilities in Sweden, the UK, and Spain [80] o Westinghouse is a second supplier of VVER fuel outside Russia [81]. • Cameco is the leading manufacturer of fuel assemblies for CANDU reactors ...
