Fuel Assembly For A Pressurized Water Nuclear Reactor Containing Plutonium-Free Enriched Uranium

This fuel assembly ( 3 ) for a pressurised water nuclear reactor comprises fuel rods which are arranged at the nodes of a substantially regular network which has a polygonal outer contour, the fuel rods containing uranium which is enriched in isotope 235 and not containing any plutonium before the assembly is used in a reactor. The rods are distributed in at least: a first central group which is constituted by fuel rods which have a first level of nuclear reactivity, and an outer peripheral layer ( 13 ) of fuel rods which have a level/levels of nuclear reactivity which is/are strictly less than the first level of reactivity.