ASTRID, Nuclear research facility in Marcoule, France
ASTRID was a planned nuclear research project at the Marcoule facility that would have featured a 600-megawatt sodium-cooled fast reactor. The design included systems for recycling plutonium and converting minor actinides to minimize the long-term radioactive waste problem.
The project emerged in the 2000s as a successor to earlier reactors like Rapsodie, Phenix, and Superphenix that had tested sodium-cooling technology. French authorities invested heavily over years but abandoned the effort in 2019.
The development of ASTRID represented France's commitment to nuclear innovation, involving 500 professionals and international partnerships with Japan and other nations.
The site was located within Marcoule, a larger nuclear research campus with multiple other facilities on the grounds. The area is not open to public visits since it remains an active industrial site with security restrictions.
The project was tied to international partnership, notably with Japan, which pursued similar technology directions. This collaboration revealed how multiple nations were pursuing parallel paths in advanced nuclear development.
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