EDF awards SPIE a new contract for cryogenic services covering France's entire nuclear fleet

Pierrelatte, 23 September 2025 – SPIE Nucléaire, a French subsidiary of SPIE, the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications, announces the conclusion of a new national contract to provide its temporary cryogenic sealing services across France's nuclear fleet. This technology, applied by SPIE Nucléaire in EDF nuclear power stations, uses freezing to temporarily isolate circuits that could otherwise only be taken out of operation during a full shutdown of the power station.

SPIE Nucléaire has been showcasing its operational excellence in implementing cryogenics solutions in France's nuclear fleet since 2020. This new contract concluded with EDF underlines how this expertise has developed over time. Since March 2025, SPIE Nucléaire has been working on all of the piping for the 900 MW, 1300 MW and 1450 MW pressurised water reactors of France's nuclear fleet, thereby actively contributing to the reliability and continuity of maintenance operations alongside EDF.

SPIE Nucléaire's temporary cryogenic sealing technique, or "ice plugging", allows for the temporary isolation of piping that cannot generally be isolated due to technical constraints or for safety, security, radiation protection or environmental reasons. In nuclear power stations, cryogenic solutions eliminate the need to drain certain circuits.

 This innovative solution offers some key advantages:

• Operational optimisation: a reduction in the time taken to complete the work and amount of time for which the equipment is unavailable;
• Environmental performance: limited effluent production as the circuits no longer need to be fully drained;
• Technical excellence: this technology is compatible with all configurations, both horizontal and vertical;
• Increased safety: safer maintenance operations with less isolation.

SPIE Nucléaire also has a unique and innovative monitoring system that combines thermography and acoustic monitoring to ensure optimal work supervision. This innovation uses a real-time monitoring system with sensors and thermal cameras to increase the reliability of ice plug maintenance.

"This new contract highlights our ability to innovate and to deploy cutting-edge technological solutions to enhance the performance of France's entire nuclear fleet," states Nicolas Venancio, MMC Business Manager at SPIE Nucléaire. "Our innovative monitoring system perfectly illustrates our commitment to research and development that strives to constantly increase the efficiency and safety of maintenance operations. These technological advancements contribute directly to enhancing the performance of the nuclear fleet, an essential asset for a successful energy transition."