SYNATOM’s activities comprise two main areas.

The nuclear fuel cycle

SYNATOM is responsible for the front-end of the nuclear fuel cycle, up to the delivery of enriched uranium to the assembly manufacturing plant selected by the nuclear operator, ELECTRABEL. SYNATOM is therefore active in the uranium, conversion and enrichment services markets.

Then it is the operator, in this case ELECTRABEL, which manages the manufacturing and use of fuel assemblies in the reactor cores and their transfer to the deactivation pool.

SYNATOM then takes charge of the back-end of the fuel cycle, namely the management of irradiated fissile materials until they are entrusted to ONDRAF for their final storage. Currently, this is mostly the intermediate storage of spent fuel assemblies at the Doel and Tihange sites.

Nuclear provisions

SYNATOM sets aside financial provisions to cover the expenses related to the dismantling of the nuclear power plants and spent fuel management.

The distribution contribution or nuclear tax

SYNATOM also provides public service obligations. It is able to act on behalf of the State in the annual collection of the distribution contribution, also called nuclear tax.