(Bloomberg) -- State-owned Electricite de France SA will start producing radioactive material needed to maintain the country’s nuclear weapons at two of its reactors in central France. 

The units at the Civaux site will be fitted to accommodate special material that contains lithium, the defense ministry said in a statement on Monday. Once irradiated, the material will be transfered to a site run by France’s Atomic Energy Commission to produce tritium, a hydrogen isotope used in nuclear weapons. 

The French government asked EDF to take on the process to provide a second source for the irradiated material, EDF head of nuclear production Etienne Dutheil said on Monday. That will allow future French leaders to keep “all options open over” over the long term, he said.  The Atomic Energy Commission is the other supplier.

This demand from the French government has no impact on Civaux’s electricity production operations or its purpose, EDF said in a statement. The request for authorization to carry out the irradiation activity will be submitted to the French Nuclear Safety Authority for approval.

©2024 Bloomberg L.P.