Orano at 50: Building for the Next Era of Nuclear Growth
As Orano celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2026, the company is not looking back. It is looking ahead to the challenge facing the entire nuclear industry: delivering the fuel, relying on skilled and committed people, and pushing the burdaries of innovation needed to support a major expansion of nuclear energy around the world. World Nuclear Association is delighted to welcome Orano as a Platinum Sponsor of World Nuclear Symposium 2026 and sponsor of this year's Gala Dinner.
The partnership comes at a time when governments, utilities and investors are increasingly turning to nuclear energy to strengthen energy security, support economic growth and meet climate goals. But delivering that growth requires action across the entire nuclear fuel cycle.
Speaking to World Nuclear Association on the sidelines of the World Nuclear Fuel Cycle conference last April, Jean-Luc Palayer, CEO and President of Orano USA, outlined the scale of the challenge.
"Nuclear capacity is expected to triple by 2050, which means there will be significant demand fof nuclear fuel because without fuel, there is no power." To help meet that demand, Orano is investing across its global portfolio. The company has increased uranium production capacity in Canada and Kazakhstan, launched new projects in Mongolia and Uzbekistan, renewed conversion capabilities and is increasing enrichment capacity in France, with plans under consideration in the United States.
Thanks to its LWR recycling capabilities, and utilities' strategies to implement mono-recycling (considering both Pu and RepU recycling), Orano is also helping to save 20–25% of natural uranium resources.
But infrastructure alone will not be enough.
"As an industry, we cannot do this alone, we need to work with our suppliers, but also with local universities and technical colleges to ensure we have the right development and training programmes for the future workforce," Palayer said."Without people, there will be no production."
Innovation is also playing a key role in Orano's plans for the future.
For Louis-Pierre Gagnon, Director of Mining at Orano Canada, innovation is not just useful — it's strategic "In mining we have to innovate," he said. "At Orano it's a strategic priority to innovate."
One example is SABRE, a mining method developed over two decades and brought into commercial production in 2025.
"We've been working on SABRE for 20 years," Gagnon explained. "We put it in commercial production last year in 2025."
The technology uses high-pressure water jets to break up ore underground and bring it to the surface as a slurry for processing. The water is then recycled, reducing waste and minimising environmental impact.
According to Gagnon, SABRE offers advantages in flexibility, safety and sustainability; 'It's very environmentally friendly,' he said, while helping unlock new opportunities for uranium production.
Watch the full interview here:
These themes – fuel security, workforce development, innovation and delivery – sit at the heart of the discussions taking place across the nuclear industry today.
They will also be central to World Nuclear Symposium 2026, where leaders from across government, industry, finance and technology will gather under the theme "From Ambition to Action".
As a Platinum Sponsor and Gala Dinner Sponsor, Orano will help bring together the people and organisations shaping the future of nuclear energy.
Join us in London from 9–11 September 2026 and celebrate Orano's 50th anniversary at the Symposium Gala Dinner as the global nuclear community comes together to discuss the next phase of industry growth.