Urenco Group
Encyclopedia
The URENCO Group is a nuclear fuel company operating several uranium enrichment plants in Germany, Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It supplies nuclear power stations in about 15 countries, and has a 25% share of the global market for enrichment services. Urenco uses Zippe-type centrifuge
enrichment technology.
, Westphalia
, Germany
, at Capenhurst
, Cheshire
, United Kingdom
and at Almelo
, Overijssel
, the Netherlands.
In the United States, where URENCO is represented by its marketing subsidiary URENCO, Inc., the URENCO USA facility became operational in spring 2010. This National Enrichment Facility
is located 5 miles (8 km) east of Eunice, New Mexico
, and operated by Louisiana Energy Services (LES), a subsidiary of URENCO Ltd.
URENCO also owns a 50% interest in Enrichment Technology Company Limited (ETC Ltd), a company jointly owned with Areva
. ETC Ltd provides enrichment-plant design services and gas-centrifuge technology for enrichment plants through its subsidiaries in the UK (Capenhurst), Germany (Gronau and Julich), the Netherlands (Almelo), France (Tricastin) and the U.S. (Eunice).
), Uranit GmbH (owned equally by German energy companies E.ON
and RWE
) and Enrichment Holdings Ltd (owned by the Government of the United Kingdom
and managed by the Shareholder Executive
).
's natural resources under apartheid South Africa, because URENCO had been importing uranium ore from the Rössing
mine in Namibia. The case was expected to be ready by the end of 1985 but was delayed because URENCO argued that, despite having enriched uranium of Namibian origin since 1980, it was impossible to tell where specific consignments came from. When the case finally reached court in July 1986, the Dutch government took URENCO's line, claiming not to have known where the uranium had been mined.
, URENCO has a standing contract with Russia for the disposal of radioactive waste
. In March 2009, there were protest
s about the largest-ever load of URENCO waste being transported from Germany to the Siberia
n town Seversk
for reprocessing
.
Zippe-type centrifuge
The Zippe-type centrifuge is a device designed to collect Uranium-235. It was developed in the Soviet Union by a team of 60 Austrian and German scientists captured after World War II, working in detention...
enrichment technology.
Subsidiaries
URENCO Deutschland GmbH, URENCO UK Ltd and URENCO Nederland BV are 100% subsidiaries of URENCO Enrichment Company Ltd. They operate enrichment plants at GronauGronau, North Rhine-Westphalia
Gronau is a city in the district of Borken, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located near the border with the Netherlands, approx. 10 km east of Enschede.- Notable persons :...
, Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, at Capenhurst
Capenhurst
Capenhurst is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England and located on the Wirral Peninsula to the south west of the town of Ellesmere Port...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and at Almelo
Almelo
Almelo is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands. The main population centres in the town are Aadorp, Almelo, Mariaparochie and Bornerbroek....
, Overijssel
Overijssel
Overijssel is a province of the Netherlands in the central eastern part of the country. The region has a NUTS classification of NL21. The province's name means "Lands across river IJssel". The capital city of Overijssel is Zwolle and the largest city is Enschede...
, the Netherlands.
In the United States, where URENCO is represented by its marketing subsidiary URENCO, Inc., the URENCO USA facility became operational in spring 2010. This National Enrichment Facility
National Enrichment Facility
The National Enrichment Facility is a plant for the enrichment of uranium. The plant uses a gas centrifuge technology known as Zippe-type centrifuges. It is located 5 miles east of Eunice, New Mexico. The NEF is operated by Louisiana Energy Services which is in turn owned by the Urenco Group...
is located 5 miles (8 km) east of Eunice, New Mexico
Eunice, New Mexico
Eunice is a city in Lea County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 2,562 at the 2000 census. The mayor of Eunice, as of April 2007, is Matt White. Ground was broken for construction of a National Enrichment Facility, which uses Zippe-type centrifuge technology, to enrich uranium in...
, and operated by Louisiana Energy Services (LES), a subsidiary of URENCO Ltd.
URENCO also owns a 50% interest in Enrichment Technology Company Limited (ETC Ltd), a company jointly owned with Areva
Areva
AREVA is a French public multinational industrial conglomerate headquartered in the Tour Areva in Courbevoie, Paris. AREVA is mainly known for nuclear power; it also has interests in other energy projects. It was created on 3 September 2001, by the merger of Framatome , Cogema and...
. ETC Ltd provides enrichment-plant design services and gas-centrifuge technology for enrichment plants through its subsidiaries in the UK (Capenhurst), Germany (Gronau and Julich), the Netherlands (Almelo), France (Tricastin) and the U.S. (Eunice).
Ownership
URENCO is owned in three equal parts by Ultra-Centrifuge Nederland NV (owned by the Government of the NetherlandsPolitics of the Netherlands
The politics of the Netherlands take place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democracy, a constitutional monarchy and a decentralised unitary state. The Netherlands is described as a consociational state...
), Uranit GmbH (owned equally by German energy companies E.ON
E.ON
E.ON AG, marketed with an interpunct as E•ON, is the holding company of the world's largest investor-owned energy service provider based in Düsseldorf, Germany. The name comes from the Greek word aeon which means eternity....
and RWE
RWE
RWE AG , is a German electric power and natural gas public utility company based in Essen. Through its various subsidiaries, the energy company contributes electricity and gas to more than 20 million electricity customers and 10 million gas customers, principally in Europe...
) and Enrichment Holdings Ltd (owned by the Government of the United Kingdom
Government of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Government is the central government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Government is led by the Prime Minister, who selects all the remaining Ministers...
and managed by the Shareholder Executive
Shareholder executive
The Shareholder Executive is the body within the British Government responsible for managing the government's financial interest in a range of public companies. Originally established within the Cabinet Office, it has since 2004 been part of the Department for Business...
).
Decommissioning
URENCO Netherlands BV has dismantled enrichment plant SP3, after the decommissioning of SP1 and SP2 in the 1980s and 1990s. Information about decommissioning cost calculations for URENCO facilities is not accessible.Namibia
In May 1985, the United Nations Council for Namibia (UNCN) decided to take legal action against URENCO for breaching UNCN Decree No 1, which prohibited any exploitation of NamibiaNamibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
's natural resources under apartheid South Africa, because URENCO had been importing uranium ore from the Rössing
Rossing
The Rössing Uranium Mine in Namibia is one of the largest open pit uranium mines in the world and is located in the Namib Desert near the town of Arandis, which is 70 kilometres from the coastal town of Swakopmund. Namibia’s only deepwater harbour, Walvis Bay, is 30 kilometres south of Swakopmund...
mine in Namibia. The case was expected to be ready by the end of 1985 but was delayed because URENCO argued that, despite having enriched uranium of Namibian origin since 1980, it was impossible to tell where specific consignments came from. When the case finally reached court in July 1986, the Dutch government took URENCO's line, claiming not to have known where the uranium had been mined.
Disposal of nuclear waste
According to GreenpeaceGreenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
, URENCO has a standing contract with Russia for the disposal of radioactive waste
Radioactive waste
Radioactive wastes are wastes that contain radioactive material. Radioactive wastes are usually by-products of nuclear power generation and other applications of nuclear fission or nuclear technology, such as research and medicine...
. In March 2009, there were protest
Protest
A protest is an expression of objection, by words or by actions, to particular events, policies or situations. Protests can take many different forms, from individual statements to mass demonstrations...
s about the largest-ever load of URENCO waste being transported from Germany to the Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
n town Seversk
Seversk
Seversk is a closed city in Tomsk Oblast, Russia, located northwest of Tomsk on the right bank of the Tom River. Population: Founded in 1949, it was known as Pyaty Pochtovy until 1954 and as Tomsk-7 until 1992. Town status was granted to it in 1956.The current Chair of the City Duma and Mayor...
for reprocessing
Nuclear reprocessing
Nuclear reprocessing technology was developed to chemically separate and recover fissionable plutonium from irradiated nuclear fuel. Reprocessing serves multiple purposes, whose relative importance has changed over time. Originally reprocessing was used solely to extract plutonium for producing...
.