AREVA Newport News

by Jarret Adams

AREVA has unveiled plans to further increase its production capacity at its Chalon/Saint-Marcel manufacturing facility in eastern France, to keep pace with its strong international growth.

During the coming years, the group will invest €35 million ($47 million) in the plant, which will enable it to produce the heavy components for the equivalent of 2.7 EPR™ reactors per year, from its current capacity of around 1.7 EPR reactors.

The Chalon/Saint Marcel plant is the model on which AREVA Newport News, an AREVA and Northrop Grumman joint venture, will be based. The construction of the 300,000-square-foot facility will begin this summer with completion anticipated in early 2012. The facility represents a $360 million investment and will create about 500 new jobs.

AREVA’s investments in Chalon/Saint Marcel and AREVA Newport News is powerful evidence of the reality of the nuclear power resurgence and the company’s commitment to it.