International cooperation of electric utilities to assure nuclear fuel supply

The Organization of Producers of Nuclear Power (O.P.E.N.) was founded on December 1st, 1973 by a number of European electric utilities operating nuclear power plants who, having been hit by the first oil price shock that threatened their supply with liquid fuel, wanted to avoid a similar event affecting their supply with nuclear fuels. The organization currently comprises 19 members from seven countries: The Federal Republic of Germany, Belgium, Spain, France, Italy, Sweden, and Switzerland. These companies shared between them on January 1st, 1986 some 62 gigawatt of installed capacity of nuclear power plant, distributed among 80 reactors, mainly of the category of light-water-moderated power plant (90 per cent). This capacity represents some 28 per cent of the installed nuclear power plant capacity in free-economy countries and 66 per cent of West-European nuclear power plant capacity. (orig./UA)