According to an Associated Press article published today, U.S. electric utilities are looking to buy reactors “off-the-shelf,” choosing from a few different reactor designs. The article focuses on Southern Company’s new reactor at Plant Vogtle under development in Georgia. While the Vogtle project uses the AP1000 design, the piece also mentions AREVA’s EPR technology and several other designs.

Jacques Besnainou, CEO of AREVA North America, said safety was a selling point for his firm’s EPR, which has a system to catch and cool a molten core in the event of a major accident.

Despite the challenges of building new plants, he said, AREVA is benefiting from its experience in Finland and France, and the two EPR projects are on schedule.

“The key here is to be able to demonstrate that we can build a new reactor on time and on budget,” he said. “Once we do that, the renaissance as a whole is golden.”

Click here to read the rest of the article.

Bringing industry and medicine together in the battle against cancer, AREVA Med has announced another important milestone to continue this fight.

AREVA Med, an AREVA subsidiary, is dedicated to developing medical grade lead-212 isotopes to be used in promising Radioimmunotherapy. Lead-212 is a rare radioactive isotope that lies at the heart of promising nuclear medical research to develop new cancer treatments.

In nuclear medicine, the development of new treatments is dictated by isotope availability. By utilizing AREVA’s engineering and technical expertise, in March 2010, AREVA Med announced the construction of a Lead-212 industrial production plant that will allow the creation of new targeted therapies for patients. 


Now, to support the project’s rapid development, AREVA Med has formed an Advisory Committee to provide strategic advice and scientific guidance in the field of Radioimmunotherapy.
read more…

In another important step to deliver renewable energy and jobs to Washington state, ADAGE, the biopower joint venture between AREVA and Duke Energy, announced today that it has signed its first long-term biomass fuel supply agreement with Green Diamond Resource Company, who owns and manages timberland in the immediate area.

Through this agreement, a portion of the woody biomass for the ADAGE Mason County facility would come from wood residuals. This material is what remains in the forest after harvest operations, and it will be removed by Green Diamond Forestry ensuring compliance with Washington forest practice regulations and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Standard.

The proposed Mason County facility would bring 55 megawatts of renewable biomass generation and addition to a $250 million initial investment in Mason County. The project is expected to create more than 400 direct jobs during construction and more than 100 direct jobs during permanent operation and will use state-of-the-art environmental controls to protect public health.

For more information check out the ADAGE website where you can find much more on biomass and how it contributes to clean energy generation.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission held a public meeting in Boise, Idaho, on Aug. 9 to hear from the public, elected officials and other stakeholders on the draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for the AREVA Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility under development near Idaho Falls. The NRC held this meeting in Boise at the behest of a Boise-based antinuclear group in addition to a previously scheduled public forum in Idaho Falls on Aug. 12.

AREVA welcomes these opportunities in Boise, Idaho Falls and elsewhere to allow people to learn more about the Eagle Rock project. We are developing a state-of-the-art uranium enrichment facility using proven, reliable and safe technology to produce fuel for commercial nuclear power plants.

Representatives for several elected officials, including Idaho Gov. C. L. “Butch” Otter, members of the Idaho delegation and others expressed their support for the Eagle Rock project at the Boise meeting. Also many members of Idaho’s business community praised the positive economic impact the project would have, including the creation of thousands of jobs. Others expressed concerns about the potential environmental impact of the facility. While views ran the spectrum, this well-run meeting by the NRC offered a good opportunity for stakeholders to learn more about the project.

“AREVA is excited to be a part of Idaho’s business community, and we look forward to continuing our work with the state and the people of southeastern Idaho,” said Bob Poyser, vice president of regional affairs at AREVA. “We plan to build and operate a safe, environmentally sustainable, world class facility that is important to America’s energy security, important to our American utility customers and important to the advancement of Idaho’s continued leadership in nuclear programs.”

Click here for more information on the Eagle Rock project.

In a letter yesterday, the Western Governors’ Association, representing the governors of 19 states and three US-flag Pacific islands, called on the Obama Administration to “develop a clear and unambiguous federal biomass policy,” saying that “many of the issues presented remain unresolved, consequently impeding our efforts to protect our citizens and forests, promote renewable energy and reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil.”  Read the press release. 
 
By supporting the collection of wood waste biomass to fuel biopower facilities, the Administration would stimulate regional sustainable forestry economies and provide leadership in developing renewable power resources. Economic stimulus and energy policy—now, where have we heard those concepts recently?
 
Learn more about the design and development of a modern biomass power facility at our ADAGE Mason County project.
 

AREVA Solar’s VP of Sales Jayesh Goyal talks with Jennifer Runyon, Renewable Energy World, about AREVA’s investment in CSP technology that has resulted in a better balance sheet for the company and better bankability for projects.

Another major announcement made by AREVA today that underscores the growth and future of renewable energy generation. AREVA and Bolognesi Participacoes, through its subsidiary Hidrotérmica, a Brazilian independent power producer, have signed a master agreement to modernize cogeneration units in 10 sugarcane factories, located primarily in northeast Brazil.

AREVA Koblitz, an AREVA subsidiary, will supply turnkey services for the units as part of the agreement. These 10 unites that will generate 330 MWe energy that will be sold to the Brazilian grid.

A first unit is already under construction and the other nine will be launched during the second half of 2010.

Anil Srivastava, CEO of AREVA Renewables, stressed: “This deal strengthens our position as leader in engineering services for the global bioenergy market. Today, we are building more than 800 MWe of biomass and hydro production, with orders for an additional 750 MWe in hand. This is further evidence of the bioenergy market’s trust in our ability to meet its rapidly expanding needs”.

Currently, AREVA has engineering teams working for the bioenergy market here in the United States through a joint-venture with Duke Energy called ADAGE. More information on ADAGE and energy generation from biomass can be found here.

Here is a great image of the Taishan 1 construction site in China. The construction team is lifting the second ring of the containment liner.

For an update on AREVA’s international EPR™ projects, read more here.

On his Weekly Washington Update, Virginia Representative Rob Wittman discussed his recent visit to the AREVA Newport News facility under development in Newport News Virginia. As part of a joint venture with Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, AREVA is working to construct a facility that will manufacture the heavy components for nuclear power plants. More information on this project here.

“Last week I also had the opportunity to visit AREVA Newport News, a company that manufactures components for nuclear power plants.  AREVA partnered up with Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding to build a fantastic facility that will create over 250 private sector jobs on the Peninsula.  This is great news not only for the Hampton Roads economy, but also for our energy security. 

Nuclear power is clean and affordable, and it should be an important part of our comprehensive energy policy.  With so many concerns about clean air and greenhouse gas emissions, nuclear power is a safe and reliable carbon emission free source of electric power.  Many countries are rapidly developing their nuclear industries, including China, which is expected to complete 22 nuclear energy reactors this year and has plans for over 100 additional reactors in the near future. The United States, on the other hand, hasn’t ordered a new reactor since 1978.

Currently, about one third of Virginia’s electricity is supplied by nuclear power, and our energy demands are expected to significantly increase in the next few decades.  I believe that in order to meet these challenges, we need a comprehensive energy policy that relies on American-made resources, including nuclear energy, natural gas, oil, coal, and renewable and alternative sources such as wind and solar power.  Nuclear energy is a reliable source of electricity, both environmentally and economically, and I enjoyed the opportunity to visit the folks at AREVA Newport News who are making this power source a reality.”
 
Check out images from the visit.