OPERA: A new public-private joint laboratory to develop the photonic instrumentation for the nuclear industry of tomorrow
Jean Monnet University, the CNRS, and the Orano Group inaugurated the OPERA joint laboratory (Innovative Photonics Instrumentation @ Orano Plants) on Friday, 5th June 2026, at the Manufacture Campus of Jean Monnet University. The laboratory is dedicated to designing a new generation of technologies for the real-time monitoring of Orano’s nuclear facilities.
Designed to address Orano’s current and future industrial challenges, the OPERA joint laboratory will develop innovative photonic technologies to equip the company’s nuclear fuel processing facilities with a new generation of real-time distributed instrumentation throughout their entire life cycle. These advances will contribute to the development of smarter facilities, tailored to the demanding requirements of constrained industrial environments. Drawing on its internationally recognized expertise in photonics, the Hubert Curien Laboratory will leverage its capabilities to develop measurement and monitoring solutions capable of operating in environments exposed to high radiation levels, elevated temperatures, and stringent industrial constraints. The technologies developed are tested and validated under real operating conditions at Orano’s industrial sites.
Three use cases already demonstrate the success of this collaboration, with contributions from a broader industrial ecosystem:
- The development of a radiation measurement instrument (dosimeter) integrated into an autonomous drone to monitor radiation levels within nuclear fuel processing facilities at Orano’s La Hague site (Manche, France);
- The design, manufacture, and deployment of a 'smart plug' embedded within the biological shielding walls surrounding highly radioactive areas, providing real-time radiation monitoring at the Orano La Hague site;
- The development of new temperature measurement technologies based on fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors - microscopic structures integrated into optical fibers that enable precise, robust, and distributed temperature measurements - for the qualification testing of Orano’s nuclear casks.
These technologies are the result of a multidisciplinary scientific approach that brings together advanced expertise in photonics, materials science, instrumentation, and physics for operation in extreme environments.
Strengthening a scientific and industrial collaboration
The creation of the OPERA joint laboratory marks a new milestone in the trusted partnership established in 2010 between Orano, Jean Monnet University, and the CNRS. Previously focused primarily on the MOPERE (Materials for Optics and Photonics in Extreme Radiation Environments) research team and its work on photonics for harsh environments, this collaboration now expands to other research groups within the Hubert Curien Laboratory. It opens up ambitious new scientific and technological opportunities to address the challenges facing today’s and tomorrow’s nuclear industry.
Through OPERA, the partners aim to accelerate the development of breakthrough innovations that will enhance the safety of nuclear facilities, optimize industrial processes, and strengthen monitoring capabilities across Orano’s industrial sites.