AREVA CEO Anne Lauvergeon was out in California yesterday, speaking to business and community leaders about the potential to build one or two U.S. EPR™ reactors around the Central Valley area near Fresno. In addition to providing clean, baseload energy, the nuclear plants could be part of a Clean Energy Park that would also include solar and desalination plants for clean water. But a key aspect of the proposed project is jobs. The construction and operation of a nuclear facility has the potential to generate over 10,000 jobs and millions of dollars for the regional economy.

Image of U.S. EPR™

By Katherine Berezowskyj

Last week, AREVA and Fresno Nuclear Energy Group (FNEG), LLC announced that they have signed a Letter of Intent to formalize their work together in the development of a nuclear power plant project for the Fresno, California area.

This Letter of Intent means that AREVA and Fresno Nuclear Energy Group will begin cooperation on the initial development and permitting process for one or possibly two of AREVA’s U.S. EPR™ plants, beginning with the preparation of the Early Site Permit and subsequent Combined License Application to be submitted to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

John Hutson, President of the Fresno Nuclear Energy Group commented how “AREVA shares our commitment to carbon-free, renewable energy; like us, they believe that nuclear is only part of the solution—AREVA is a world leader in designing wind, solar, geothermal and other renewable energy systems, as well.”

The objective of the Fresno Nuclear Energy Group is to provide an environmentally responsible source of electricity especially to develop the state’s critical agricultural industry and support wildlife preservations efforts that are so vital to the Central Valley of California.

And nuclear energy isn’t just an environmentally responsible energy option; a new U.S. EPR™ would create up to 11,000 direct and indirect jobs during component manufacturing (including AREVA’s Newport News heavy component facility in Virginia) and plant construction.  On top if this, construction and operation would also create more than 400 permanent jobs and spur billion of dollars in investment in the local economy.  When the U.S. EPR™ is up and running it would produce clean, reliable baseload electricity for more than 1.6 million homes.

For more information about this historic partnership for clean energy in California check out the Fresno Nuclear Energy Group, LLC, the U.S. EPR™ by AREVA, and official Press Release.

UVAToday, a University of Virginia publication, includes a feature on the partnership between its School of Engineering and Applied Science and AREVA. The partnership includes dedicated funding for educational and research programs, and provides an excellent opportunity for tomorrow’s engineers to gain practical experience today in the field of nuclear engineering.

AREVA, a global nuclear energy company headquartered in Paris, with a facility in Lynchburg, represents an important corporate partner to the Engineering School. The company has been a champion of an undergraduate engineering distance-learning program, Engineers PRODUCED in Virginia, since its creation in 2007.

The program began taking shape in 2006 when AREVA foresaw the need for more engineers to meet the demands of the emerging nuclear renaissance in the United States. This renaissance–and need for engineers–includes the AREVA Newport News facility, development of the Clean Energy Park in Ohio, and the Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility in Idaho.

Engineers PRODUCED in Virginia is one solution to the shortage. At varying levels, AREVA is now sponsoring more than 40 students in the program, offering mentorships, paying tuition and book costs and offering employment to graduates. The company also allows flex-time to its current employees so they can complete the program while working.

Jacob Bumgarner, currently enrolled in the program online as a University of Virginia student and an AREVA engineering intern, comments:

This program has allowed me to continue living at home, while working and earning an engineering degree from one of the most prestigious schools in the country. I am also lucky enough to be sponsored by AREVA, so I am able to learn something from school, and then come to work and actually see how it is used.

Here’s the full article from UVAToday.

Today Ohio Governor Ted Strickland was in Piketon, Ohio at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Portsmouth site for a major announcement with executives from Duke Energy, AREVA, USEC Inc., UniStar Nuclear Energy and the Southern Ohio Diversification Initiative (SODI). Together they shared news of the formation of an alliance to pursue the development of America’s first clean energy park project on the DOE site.

The clean energy park project builds on the DOE’s initiative to take former weapons sites and transform available resources for use in future clean energy production. This supports the reindustrialization and reutilization of key site assets, while aiding with site cleanup and providing sustainable economic development for the region. Gov. Strickland emphasized the multiple benefits of the project, and how it “will revitalize the region’s economy, further advance Ohio’s nuclear infrastructure, help address our energy needs and be part of Ohio’s solution to the challenge of climate change.”

The initial focus of the alliance, formally known as the Southern Ohio Clean Energy Park Alliance, will be to evaluate the DOE Portsmouth site as a potential location for a new nuclear power plant. AREVA CEO Anne Lauvergeon noted that “an advanced reactor, such as the U.S. EPR™, offers many benefits to the region including providing reliable electricity to more than one million households, without producing greenhouse gases.” The alliance will utilize the various assets of each partner, from project management, licensing, and nuclear operations. It represents a unique opportunity for all parties to transition a portion of a former DOE weapons complex into a commercial asset.