Orano NPS, a subsidiary of France’s Orano Group has been selected by Swiss utility Axpo to supply its TN Eagle casks for the entire operating period of the Leibstadt NPP. The TN Eagle is Orano NPS’s latest-generation cask for used fuel transportation and dry storage.

The cask is assembled more rapidly due to an innovative weld-free design and manufacturing processes using entirely automated ring insertion equipment. It has undergone rigorous testing to demonstrate its robustness and has been approved for transportation by the French Nuclear Safety Authority in compliance with the latest International Atomic Energy Agency regulations. The first-of-a-kind model was manufactured entirely automatically in 2022, which verified the technical feasibility of the processes involved.

In early February, Orano NPS launched construction of a new plant, the TN Eagle Factory, at the port of Cherbourg to better serve the growing number of orders for the cask in Europe, Asia, and the USA. Commissioning of the plant is planned for 2024.

Image: 3D view of TN Eagle’s cask (courtesy of Orano)