Nicolas Ferrand is bouncing back into the nuclear sector. As of September 16, 2024, this 52-year-old engineer, a graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique, the Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées and MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), will take over the management of Orano’s Aval du futur program. Reporting to Nicolas Maes, the CEO of the group specializing in the processing of nuclear materials (17,500 people), he will join the executive committee.
This is a change of direction for Nicolas Ferrand, who until now specialized in development on behalf of public operators. After prefiguring it, he has been managing the Olympic Works Delivery Company (Solideo) since the end of 2017, which was tasked with the construction and renovation of the permanent facilities needed for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, a set of 70 structures, including the Athletes’ Village located in Seine-Saint-Denis. A mission accomplished for Solideo, which will ultimately return 39 million euros to the State and local authorities.
Having joined the Marne Departmental Equipment Directorate as district head in 1999, Nicolas Ferrand became head of the Ile-de-France transport office at the Ministry of Transport in 2003, then technical advisor in charge of urban planning and development in the office of the Minister of Equipment Gilles de Robien between 2004 and 2007. Appointed general director of the Saint-Etienne (Loire) public development establishment, in 2012 he became general director of urban development for the Rennes Métropole urban community (Ille-et-Vilaine) before taking over as general director of the Marne-la-Vallée (Seine-et-Marne) public development establishments in 2014.
A program linked to the need to perpetuate installations beyond 2040
Nicolas Ferrand’s mission at Orano is linked to the government decision, confirmed on February 26, to continue recycling spent fuel from nuclear power plantswith an extension until 2100. It was then only planned until 2040. The change in the deadline requires, for Orano, additional investments. In La Hague (Manche), after an investment of 450 million euros granted in 2023, The industrialist was already planning to at least double its investments by 2030 in order to be able to operate the site until 2040.
“In parallel with the steps already underway to extend the La Hague and Melox plants, this new program aims to prepare and conduct the renewal of these plants, to provide France with the industrial tool allowing the recycling of fuels until the end of the century, and by offering this service to foreign nuclear power companies,” explains Orano to present its Aval du futur program. The Melox plant, which produces fuel (Mox), is located in Chusclan, in the Gard.
Not now, which has also diversified into pharmaceuticalsalerted at the beginning of July 2024 regarding the critical situation of its uranium plant located in NigerThe industrialist was also ordered in June by the Nuclear Safety Authority to carry out repairs. on the dam he operates at La Hague.
Source: www.usinenouvelle.com
