AREVA announced today that it has agreed to acquire U.S. solar company Ausra. Ausra is a California-based provider of large-scale concentrated solar power solutions for electricity generation and industrial steam production.

Utilizing Ausra’s management team and proven technology, this acquisition launches AREVA’s new solar energy business on a global scale.

Liddell Solar/Coal-Fired Power

By combining Ausra’s proven technology with AREVA’s years of project experience and world class Engineering, Procurement, and Construction skills, AREVA commits to building the most cost-effective concentrated solar power for energy customers around the world.
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Welcome to the upgraded new AREVA North America blog, Next Energy.

In addition to the upgrade of the look and feel of the site, to match the new overall graphical revamp of our main site, we have a few new features to point out:
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By Jarret Adams

Right now, nuclear energy is expanding around the world. According to the World Nuclear Association, there are 50 reactors under construction across the globe and another 130 (and counting) scheduled to come online over the next decade.

The nuclear renaissance is happening.

Today the world demands clean, low-carbon energy sources to prevent further increases in carbon-dioxide emissions. That is why we are seeing increasing interest in nuclear energy as well as renewable technologies such as wind and solar.

In the United States, nuclear energy is by far the largest source of electricity that does not produce greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, 72 percent of the nation’s emissions-free electricity comes from nuclear power.

At AREVA, we believe nuclear energy must be part of any solution to reduce harmful emissions and provide affordable, clean electricity to the country. Nuclear energy is just one part of the equation, a range of clean energy sources, including renewables, are needed. But in realistic terms, the United States would be hard pressed to meet its energy and climate goals without nuclear energy.

From California to New York, companies like AREVA are planning a new generation of nuclear energy plants. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has received 17 applications to license 25 new reactors and is working hard to review them. Included among these are four AREVA U.S. EPR™ reactors. These four domestic reactors are in addition to the four EPR™ reactors AREVA has under construction worldwide.

These new nuclear facilities will do more than produce clean, reliable electricity. These projects will inject billions of dollars of investment into local communities and create thousands of high-paying jobs.

We must tackle the challenges of reducing emissions and creating a clean-energy economy. Nuclear energy is a reliable, clean-energy source, capable of generating jobs where they are needed most. New nuclear plants should be part of the nation’s energy solution.

Jarret Adams is director of media relations at AREVA Inc. in Bethesda, Md.

By Katherine Berezowskyj

There was a very big announcement for renewable energy today out of Washington State. ADAGE LLC, a biopower joint venture between AREVA and Duke Energy, and John Deere announced the formation as part of the biomass power process. This alliance will bring innovative technology and sustainable methods to enhance fuel supply for the renewable woody biomass power projects.

John Deere Bundler

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From today’s Wall Street Journal, an op-ed by Russian businessman, Oleg Deripaska

Russian businessman, Oleg Deripaska

“It is 50 years since the first commercial nuclear power plants began to generate electricity. Even in the dark days of the Cold War, these reactors, in France and the U.S., were seen as vital to the world’s future. They were expected to mark the beginning of a new peaceful atomic age that would help meet our energy needs.

Nuclear power now generates 15% of the world’s electricity. But a combination of alternative and plentiful energy sources, high costs, the impact of the Chernobyl disaster as well as scare campaigns has meant nuclear power has failed to live up to its pioneers’ loftiest ambitions.

Oil is, however, no longer cheap or plentiful. There are serious worries about future supplies. At the same time, demand for energy continues to accelerate to support the growth of developing economies. Climate change caused by emissions from fossil fuels poses a threat to our quality of life. It is no surprise that the balance is tipping back in favor of nuclear power.”

- Oleg Deripaska

From the Office of Management and Budget (link)

February 1, 2010: “The President’s 2011 Budget provides $28.4 billion for the Department of Energy (DOE) to support scientific innovation, develop clean and secure energy technologies, maintain national security, and reduce environmental risk.

Encourage Use of Innovative Energy Technologies:

• $36 billion in new loan authority – for a total of $54.5 billion – to expand support for DOE loan guarantees for nuclear power facilities.
• $500 million in credit subsidy to support $3 billion to $5 billion in loan guarantees for innovative energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.
• $144 million for research, development, and demonstration activities to modernize the grid including smart-grid technologies that will spur the transition to a smarter, more efficient, secure and reliable electric system, resulting in energy- and cost-saving choices for consumers, reduced emissions, and growth of renewable energy sources.”

Watch Secretary Chu discuss the 2011 Budget for the Department on Energy on Bloomberg:

Friday Secretary Chu announced the formation of a Blue Ribbon Commission that will provide recommendations for managing used fuel and nuclear waste.

AREVA supports the Department of Energy’s efforts to move forward with the development of this program.

Energy Secretary Steven Chu with President Obama. (image: msn.com)

From the Department of Energy:

Washington, D.C. – As part of the Obama Administration’s commitment to restarting America’s nuclear industry, U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu today announced the formation of a Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future to provide recommendations for developing a safe, long-term solution to managing the Nation’s used nuclear fuel and nuclear waste. read more…

“But to create more of these clean energy jobs, we need more production, more efficiency, more incentives. That means building a new generation of safe, clean nuclear power plants in this country…..And yes, it means passing a comprehensive energy and climate bill with incentives that will finally make clean energy the profitable kind of energy in America.”

- President Obama, in the State of the Union Address

AREVA welcomes President Obama’s support of nuclear energy

By Anne Lauvergeon, CEO of AREVA and Jim Rogers, CEO of Duke Energy

This originally appeared in today’s issue of The Energy Daily.

A “meaningful agreement.”

President Obama refused to take no for an answer as he negotiated with world leaders during the recent UN climate conference in Copenhagen to set a new course for battling climate change.
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Jacques Besnainou AREVA Inc. CEO

In the January edition of Electroindustry—a publication from the National Electrical Manufacturers Association—AREVA Inc. CEO Jacques Besnainou discusses how changes in renewable energy and grid standards are an essential part of transforming the U.S. energy sector.

“But, while everyone agrees the outcome from Copenhagen may take a few years to be ratified and implemented, it is encouraging that many countries, including the U.S., Canada, EU, and China, are moving forward with their own actions to lower their carbon footprints and transition to low-carbon economies.”

Besnainou points out that in addition to federal actions, some states have adopted Renewable Portfolio Standards (PRS), “which together constitute another key driver of renewable energy.”

“Many states in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions have expressed interest in offshore wind. We have seen similar interest in coastal provinces of Eastern Canada. AREVA, as part of a strong commitment to supplying the world with clean, CO2-free energy, is making significant investments in offshore wind in the U.S. and Canada. We believe that standards will make offshore wind a sustainable market and we are encouraged by the projections from the American and Canadian Wind Associations.”

Equally important in the development of renewable energy is the need for “interconnection standards that eliminate barriers to connecting offshore and onshore wind plants to transmission systems. The existing grid interconnection standards must continue to evolve and be flexible as the technology advances.”

Read the rest of the piece “Standards Increase Renewable Energy, Facilitate Grid Interconnection,” on page 3 here.

For more information about what AREVA is doing in renewable energy and offshore wind can also be found here.