Georges Besse II, Tricastin
Capacity
7,500tSWU/yr
Georges Besse II, Tricastin is a enrichment facility operated by Orano in France. It has a capacity of 7,500 tSWU/yr as of 2025, about 11% of world enrichment capacity.
France's only enrichment plant, a centrifuge facility that replaced the vastly more power-hungry Georges Besse I gaseous diffusion plant. The old plant consumed roughly 3% of French electricity and was fed by three dedicated reactors at Tricastin; the centrifuge replacement uses about 2% as much energy per SWU.
Facility
| Stage | Enrichment |
|---|---|
| Operator | Orano |
| Country | France |
| Capacity | 7,500tSWU/yr |
| Figure applies to | 2025 |
| Note on the figure | Orano has announced expansion to 10,000 tSWU/yr by 2030. |
| Status | operating |
| Commissioned | 2011 |
| Coordinates | 44.3300, 4.7200 |
Position in the chain
This facility is about 11% of world enrichment capacity (68,076 tSWU/yr, 2025).
Orano also operates:
- Malvési and Philippe Coste (Tricastin) (conversion)
- Tricastin deconversion (W plant) (deconversion)
- Project IKE, Oak Ridge (enrichment)
- Moinkum and Tortkuduk (KATCO) (mining)
- La Hague (reprocessing)
Other enrichment facilities
| Facility | Capacity | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Novouralsk, Zelenogorsk, Angarsk and Seversk | 29,133tSWU/yr | operating |
| CNNC enrichment plants | 13,789tSWU/yr | operating |
| Urenco Almelo | not disclosed | operating |
| Urenco Gronau | not disclosed | operating |
| Urenco Capenhurst | not disclosed | operating |
| Urenco USA, National Enrichment Facility | not disclosed | operating |
| Rokkasho Enrichment Plant | not disclosed | operating |
| Project IKE, Oak Ridge | not disclosed | planned |
Sources
- World Nuclear Association, Uranium Enrichment · retrieved 2026-09-06