Guest blog post by Pat McMurray of the Women’s Council on Energy and the Environment (WCEE):

Visiting the Center for Advanced Engineering and Research (CAER) near Lynchburg, Virginia, is an aesthetic treat. The Center is an unusually beautiful modern building that fits perfectly into its wooded setting. The structure reflects the woods around it in color – and in design. The building is blue, green and tan. The supports for the roof and ceiling are abstract “tree” forms. Inside, wide glass walls and open workrooms make visitors feel they are still in the woods – natural beauty is right outside the glass. Inside is state of the art engineering technology.

The Center opened in August 2011. It was conceived several years earlier, when business leaders in South-Side Virginia became concerned for the future of their region. South-Side Virginia had relied on tobacco farming, textiles, and shoe manufacturing throughout much of the twentieth century. Those industries were passing into history. The business leaders decided that if they were to attract twenty-first century businesses, they needed to create a research university environment. Although there were research universities in other parts of Virginia, there were none in the south central or southwestern regions of the state. This center was created to fill that need.

Why is AREVA here as an important anchor tenant? The Center for Safe and Secure Nuclear Energy, one of the four research areas at the center, features AREVA’s next-generation nuclear power plant control room simulator that will help scientists and engineers plan state of the art control room design, digital technologies, and human performance measures. The digital control room includes a large, glass-walled observation area that will be useful both for visitors and for researchers who want to evaluate how operators interact with their displays and control systems.

The nuclear industry comprises one of the two major science clusters here; the other is the domain of the wireless communication industry. Together, they provide the research and development capacity that will attract more business to the region. Bob Bailey, the executive director of the Center, says all the Virginia universities have educational partnerships with the Center or a master research agreement with the Center. High school and middle school students at the local schools have also benefited from educational activities at the Center. Bailey adds that perhaps the most long lasting impact is how the entire region is perceived; no longer anchored to its agrarian past, but actively leading industries into the twenty-first century.

I am an energy consumer. There is no dancing around this. I take public transit and, when needed, I drive my hybrid to the grocery store. I buy local, but lately the persimmons from Israel call me. Growing up in California, we used to make fun of our parents for reusing glass jars and re- purposing old cardboard boxes. Now, my husband thinks I’m a recycling fanatic. I work in a room with natural light. However, just as I’m about to feel good about this, I realize I’ve left the light on in the other room! My awareness is expanding and my energy efficiency is increasing. I like to think I’m “green,” but it’s relative.

We all have basic needs to feed, clothe and house our families. However, the majority of our nation would be hard pressed to grow food, spin cloth or build a small hut. Our “energies” are spent in work that provides us with means to acquire our basic needs. Too often it’s a political tap dance around our economy, our environment, energy, transportation … however you name it, energy is a partner.

In the United States, 20% of our electricity generation mix is from nuclear sources. To put it in perspective – “Could we be without energy for more than one day a week?” I think so, but at the cost of what? It is not a viable option with our struggling economy, nor is it a choice many would want for our lives.

What to do? It is important to maintain a responsible voice at the decision table regarding energy. However, the focus of the discussion needs to shift to “Why don’t we recycle used fuel vs “Why use nuclear energy as part of our energy mix?”

We must make our way today with an open mind for our future and a critical eye to the past. We are the stewards of our communities. We are decision-makers. We are energy consumers. We can’t dance around that.

Rosie Abriam is the President/CEO for The Center for Asian Pacifica American Women. “The Center” is a non-profit organization which develops stewardship in our communities by building leadership capacity across sectors. In a past life she worked on NARAC-National Atmospheric Release Advisory Capability. NARAC is an emergency response program which monitors the release of radionuclides into the atmosphere. For her work on dose modeling and remote site management, she was awarded the Distinguished Physics Award from the lab director. In another life, she developed laser applications for gas & oil, biomedical and research sectors.

Following an extensive two-year evaluation, the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) has selected two finalists to build the first nuclear reactor in Jordan.

JAEC has selected the ATMEA1 technology, developed by a joint venture comprising AREVA Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) known as ATMEA.

This decision represents a significant milestone in the technological development of ATMEA 1, a new world-class model of 1,100 MWe nuclear power reactor.

During the next phase, JAEC will continue discussions with two qualified bidders, including AREVA-MHI-ATMEA.

In Canada, the ATMEA1 technology is undergoing pre-project design review with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC). The ATMEA1 has been proposed for the New Brunswick Clean Energy Park and is available for consideration for the Ontario new reactor project.

The French Safety Authority (ASN) recently issued a favourable statement on the ATMEA1 reactor’s safety options.

Click here for more on the ATMEA1 reactor.

As seen in the Charlotte Business Journal this week, AREVA Inc. CEO Mike Rencheck described the company’s vision and activities in the North American energy market.

Areva stakes out place in range of nuclear solutions

by Mike Rencheck
As the chief executive of Areva Inc., I have the privilege to lead a fine organization and the challenge of providing safe, affordable and clean energy solutions. These solutions are critical to providing energy security and long-term sustainability of our nation’s economy.

With deep roots in the United States and almost 5,000 employees spread across the country, Areva is a leader in providing clean-energy solutions for power generation. Areva is the only company with expertise in every step of nuclear-power generation, from mining ore to used-fuel recycling.

Nuclear power must and will continue to be part of the global energy mix. The U.S. remains the largest nuclear market in the world, and Areva is committed to its long-term success. We work with utility customers to ensure they continue to deliver on the promise of safe, efficient and reliable nuclear energy. We are constantly innovating and aligning our portfolio of technologies, services and products to meet our customer’s needs and expectations.
read more…

The Washington Post Editorial Board asks a great question today:

CAN THE WORLD fight global warming without nuclear power?

The article then notes that, “One major industrialized country — Germany — is determined to find out, and another — Japan — is debating whether to try. Both illustrate how hard it would be.”  And the majority of the article is about the facts of this choice.

read more…

It’s a simple idea: More power, less carbon emissions.

For example:

• One AREVA solar thermal booster attached to a coal-fired power plant will reduce emissions by 36,000 tons of carbon every year.
• A single, modern AREVA EPR nuclear power facility will generate massive amounts of electricity 24/7 without a single carbon emission, and does so for three generations.
• One AREVA offshore wind turbine catching the wind 30 miles offshore will power 5,000 homes.

Where your power comes from makes a difference in our world today, and tomorrow.

By learning more about our nation’s energy choices, we can make informed decisions to meet our increasing power needs without increasing our environmental risk.

We Americans can replace our current carbon-based energy supply with an intentional mix of nuclear and renewable low carbon energies, and achieve a cleaner environment.

That’s where we come in—AREVA’s portfolio of innovative large-scale, low carbon power technologies are under construction around the world, generating thousands of jobs and megawatts of power.

Learn more. Explore our clean energy technologies. Be ready for your next conversation about our nation’s energy options. And join into the conversation on this blog.

Together we can make a simple idea a national reality. Enjoy Earth Day weekend, and join in the global celebration.

AREVA commended the Harper Government for its plan presented this week to reform oversight of proposed natural resource projects that would improve project economics and spur new investments in Canada. The federal government plan would streamline review of proposed projects, and has received broad support from industry in Canada. The plan was announced by Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver on April 17 at an industrial facility outside Toronto.

“The Harper Government’s plan for Responsible Resource Development will create good, skilled, well-paying jobs in cities and communities across Canada, while maintaining the highest possible standards for protecting the environment,” said Minister Oliver. “It will help prevent the long delays in reviewing major economic projects that kill potential jobs and stall economic growth by putting valuable investment at risk.”

In an article in the Saskatoon Star Phoenix, AREVA praised the federal government initiative:

“Reforms such as these certainly weigh into our considerations as we contemplate whether to make new investments in Canada,” said Jarret Adams, AREVA’s communications manager in Saskatoon.

“We certainly view this in a positive light,” he said. “We appreciate the government’s initiative to make regulatory review more predictable and efficient for proposed new projects.”

Read the rest of the article.

We want to highlight a new and excellent online nuclear energy resource: The Nuclear Literacy Project.

As they describe on their site, it’s “a new website and outreach initiative geared towards reaching young, non-technical audiences with information about nuclear energy.” Energy education is crucial, and this site looks to be a fun and well-designed hub for many methods of learning and teaching.

Challenge yourself with one of the quizzes, watch the videos, explore nuclear tourism, and read the personal stories of young nuclear energy students and professionals. And be sure to tell a STEM teacher or professor (science, technology, engineering, math) about this new resource.

We’ll keep an eye out for new content as this site expands, and suggest you should, too. Follow them on Twitter at @NuclearLiteracy and check out their Facebook page for a photo of a handful of uranium “yellowcake.”

We enjoy reading Steve Skutnik’s blog, Neutron Economy, and thought the post there today on culture, perception and discussion around nuclear energy issues was especially insightful. Have you considered this line of thinking before?

Steve makes the observation that we are all culturally bound in our viewpoints, and that we all filter the world through our own contexts of morality, ethics and risk perception, and then develop our opinions — including those on energy policies and the role of nuclear power. The term-of-art for this line of thinking is “Cultural Cognition.”
read more…

We value our AREVA North America social network followers everywhere we are – our Facebook fans, our new Google Plus followers and our LinkedIn community. But we wanted to make a special note of crossing a milestone with our Twitter community.

We just exceeded 4,500 Twitter followers this week, and while this number may be an indicator of expanding engagement … it is more important to us to be a contributing member of the online nuclear and energy communities. We greatly value the community following us on Twitter, and appreciate the opportunity you give us to hear your thoughts about these important topics.