Launched in 2024, Orano’s Aval du Futur program aims to design the next generation of nuclear fuel treatment and recycling facilities.
At the World Nuclear Exhibition 2025, Orano signed three major engineering partnerships to support this ambition.
In this context, Ametra, a long-standing partner of the group, provides its dual expertise in mechanical design and numerical simulation.
A Long-Standing Collaboration Renewed
Present alongside Orano since the Cogema and Areva eras, the Ametra Group has supported the fuel cycle sector for nearly forty years on major projects such as the MELOX plant and GoMOX, the modernization program for MOX fuel production lines.
This continuity is built on recognized expertise in mechanical design and calculation: gloveboxes, metal frameworks, and process equipment specific to the fuel cycle.
“Our long-standing expertise in mechanical design and calculation with Orano made the difference,” emphasizes Thomas Gilibert, Agency Director at Ametra. “We know their processes and requirements and standards, which makes our collaboration effective and demonstrates our relevance in contributing to the Aval du Futur programs.”
An Industrial Program Based on Continuity, Modernization, and Sustainability
The Aval du Futur program is part of the modernization and sustainability of the fuel cycle sector. It aims to replicate and improve proven models, particularly those of the MELOX plant, while integrating:
- new treatment and recycling capacities for spent fuel;
- an increased level of safety and operation;
Certain designs will involve assemblies comparable to those of the MELOX plant, deployed at the La Hague site.
In parallel, ORANO also seeks to ensure the long-term resilience of existing facilities.
Ametra will thus contribute both to the design of future units and to the operational maintenance of current infrastructure, through its recognized competencies in:
- mechanical design and redesign of complex equipment;
- numerical simulation for performance validation and sizing under extreme conditions, particularly seismic resistance.
“We have often worked on operating facilities for Orano: maintenance, repairs, adaptations. We will reinvest all this experience in Aval du Futur ,” specifies Thomas Gilibert.
Teams Mobilized Across the Territory
While the future facilities of the program will be located at La Hague, the engineering workload will be distributed across several sites in France.
Orano has chosen to distribute the studies across all its locations, and Ametra supports this approach through its offices in Cherbourg, Clamart, Aix-en-Provence, Bagnols-sur-Cèze, and Bordeaux.
Each site will have a local technical representative ensuring daily liaison with Orano teams.
A Sustained Industrial Schedule and Two Key Milestones by 2026
The partnership is already underway, with an initial operational deployment in Cherbourg, the heart of the program’s launch.
Two major milestones are planned at the end of 2026:
- the first will mark the completion of the first phase of studies on the major assemblies of the Aval du Futur program;
- the second will concern the program Sustainability-Resilience, conducted in parallel, and will aim to ensure the continuity and operational safety of existing facilities.
This program includes the completion of a comprehensive audit of operating units to assess their condition, identify improvements to be implemented to ensure their operational maintenance (MCO) during the transition period to future infrastructure.
These two complementary components (Aval du Futur and Sustainability-Resilience) reflect Orano’s commitment to combining innovation and industrial continuity.
The ramp-up, initiated in 2025, will intensify in 2026, with between 50 and 80 employees mobilized ultimately within Ametra.
A Contribution at the Heart of Energy Sovereignty
By participating in the Aval du Futur program, Ametra confirms its role as a key player in the French nuclear sector.
This collaboration is part of a logic of continuity, innovation, and proximity, faithful to the group’s DNA: rigor, knowledge transfer, and technical excellence in service of major energy and industrial sovereignty projects.
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