The Fall 2009 Issue of Dædalus, a quarterly publication from the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, focuses on nuclear energy and features an article written by AREVA CEO Anne Lauvergeon.

Dædalus, founded in 1955, features essays from country’s most prominent thought-leaders. This year’s Fall issue focuses on “The Global Nuclear Future,” and features Mrs. Lauvergeon’s article, “The nuclear renaissance: an opportunity to enhance the culture of nonproliferation.” In her article, Lauvergeon discusses the balance between the world’s need for more nuclear energy and communities cooperating to control proliferation.
 
The full text of Mrs. Lauvergeon’s essay, along with the rest of the issue, can be found
here.

Anne Lauvergeon, CEO of AREVA

For nearly half a century, non-proliferation treaties and other multinational collaborations have helped facilitate the safe expansion of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. But some wonder whether the benefits of the so-called “nuclear renaissance” are worth the increased risks of the technology and potentially dangerous materials being used as weapons by terrorists, recalcitrant governments, and other groups that care little for the benefits of international cooperation.

AREVA CEO Anne Lauvergeon addressed these concerns in a speech to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s 2009 Conference on Nonproliferation in Washington, D.C.

Lauvergeon noted that while governments bear primary responsibility for effectively preventing the spread of nuclear weapons, the nuclear industry can and must play a critical role as well.

“We have entered a world where nuclear industry is not to be seen as part of the problem, as it could have in the past, nor as a passive actor, but as an active part of the solution,” she said.

Citing corporate policies such as AREVA’s own Values Charter, which mandates working only with customers from countries that conform to international nonproliferation norms and obligations, and the emergence of reprocessing protocols that limit access to used fuel, Lauvergeon called the international growth of nuclear energy, “a unique opportunity to promote an enhanced culture of nonproliferation.”

The key, she explained, is to promote initiatives such as an international fuel bank that would help developing nations rectify their acute energy imbalances, and a well-functioning, closed fuel cycle market that would provide enrichment and used fuel recycling services at competitive prices. Such measures, she said, would minimize any incentive for non-nuclear countries to acquire fuel recycling and enrichment facilities of their own.

Noting how AREVA has already treated more than 20,000 tons of used fuel from seven countries, “The experience shows that, under the right framework, treatment and recycling are a very good option,” said Lauvergeon.

In closing, Mme. Lauvergeon said that the ongoing nuclear renaissance offers the world “a tremendous opportunity to meeting the energy, economic and environmental needs of both developed and developing countries, for the lifetime of our children and beyond. This, without increasing the risk of nuclear weapons.”

A transcript and video of the Conference are available here.

AREVA prides itself on being the leader in the nuclear energy cycle, and the company’s success has caught the attention of Time Magazine. In a piece posted to Time’s online section from August 7, AREVA was identified as “the first place that countries or power companies go when looking for all of their nuclear services─ supplying and enriching uranium, building and managing plants, disposing of their waste ─ under a single roof.”

The article attributes a large part of the company’s success to AREVA CEO Anne Lauvergeon. Ben Elias, a research analyst for Sterne, Agee & Leach, was quoted as saying “if you look at what she’s done since taking her job, you realize Anne Lauvergeon had the drive, creativity and vision to assemble all these parts into a single unit ready for a nuclear renaissance that she saw coming.”

While the Time piece focuses primarily on AREVA’s current profile, it also emphasizes growth in the global demand for nuclear energy. “As governments search for clean, renewable energy sources and consumers worry about volatile oil prices, nuclear power is hot again…over the next decade, the world is expected to build 180 nuclear power plants, up from just 39 between 1999 and today.” These figures include countries like Italy (who just reversed its moratorium on new plant builds), Britain, Japan, and China.

Of these new builds, the attention right now is on Finland where the construction of AREVA’s Generation III+ EPR™ reactor, Olkiluoto 3, is under way. As the article points out “AREVA’s EPR boasts innovations that led the U.S.-based Union of Concerned Scientists to call its design the only one with the ‘potential to be significantly safer and more secure against attack than today’s reactors.’”

While the article notes that the OL3 project is behind schedule and over-budget, AREVA spokesman Jacques-Emmanuel Saulnier responded, “You only see how it works once you’ve built it and proved it’s what you’d said it would be.”

Although there are a couple of points with which AREVA may take issue, the full article, “Areva’s Field of Dreams,” by Bruce Crumley, is definitely worth a read. Check it out on time.com.

By Katherine Berezowskyj

Yesterday the United States actually saw a clear step in the nuclear energy renaissance as AREVA and Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding put shovels in the ground. The two leaders in the nuclear industry broke ground on what will be a 330,000 square-foot heavy components manufacturing facility in Newport News, Va.

AREVA Newport News LLC is the joint venture that the two companies formed last October to build this facility that will manufacture the heavy components for nuclear power plants. It’s the first heavy component manufacturing facility built in the U.S. in 35 years. These heavy components will be the “guts” of future AREVA U.S. EPR™ reactors as well as other EPR™ projects linking the supply chain all over the world.

“This is a significant and concrete step in the revival of the U.S. nuclear energy sector,” said Anne Lauvergeon, CEO of AREVA. “The path of certainty for the deployment of the EPR reactor in the United States goes through Viriginia.”

The project represent a commitment to the state as well as the industry. It will bring an investment of more than $360 million and 500 skilled jobs to Virginia—one that will provide green energy jobs and keep the regional economy strong.

The mayor of Newport News, Joe Frank, and Virginia Governor Tim Kaine were there to celebrate this great occasion for industry and energy in the region. Governor Kaine said, “AREVA Newport News and Virginia have launched a powerful partnership built on our shared goals of promoting green energy and energy efficiency.”

When AREVA Newport News comes online—expected in 2012—it will produce the critical EPR™ heavy components, including reactor vessels, steam generators, and pressurizers. As the AREVA EPR™ is the only Generation III+ reactor currently under construction today, the components represent a critical supply for meeting future, growing, and clean energy needs-particularly in the U.S.

To watch the webcast of yesterday’s groundbreaking, click here

Stay tuned for live coverage as AREVA and Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding will break out the shovels for the construction of 330,000-square-foot manufacturing and engineering facility.

This evening at 6:00 pm EDT, the two leaders in the U.S. nuclear industry will be breaking ground on a new manufacturing and engineering facility in Newport News, Virginia. The joint venture, AREVA Newport News LLC, will build the heaving components for new nuclear plants, a $360 million investment that will create more than 500 jobs.

Noted appearances will include: Virginia Governor Timothy Kaine, AREVA CEO Anne Lauvergeon, Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding President Mike Petters, AREVA Newport News General Manager Chris Levesque, and Newport News Mayor Joe Frank.

UPDATE:

Watch it live on the streaming webcast

The live webcast is now archived for viewing on demand here.

While we’re glad the newspapers are sitting up and taking notice of nuclear power’s place in our 21st-century energy mix, we’ve also seen a lot of attention on the new Piketon project from the nuclear energy blogging and news community. We’re proud to present a round-up of some quick reactions to the news from the nuclear energy bloggers and news sources… and we’re looking forward to more in-depth coverage and analysis from our friends in the community in the coming weeks and months!

Rod Adams at Atomic Insights:

At the risk of overloading you with new posts from Atomic Insights – three in one day is a bit much – I have to share one more story that kind of caught me by surprise. Apparently there is going to be a major announcement staged at Piketon, Ohio, the site of a former enrichment facility, on Thursday, June 18. When I first saw the link to the story in my Google Alert, I thought there must have been a misunderstanding by the journalist at the Columbus Dispatch. That does not appear to be the case . . .

All of the publications have pointed to the importance of creating as many as 4,000 new construction jobs in southern Ohio, a region that has been hit hard by the economic recession since it was already having challenges before our current crisis began.

Dan Yurman at Idaho Samizdat:

If you want to know how serious Areva takes this project, consider the fact that Anne Lauvergeon, the CEO of Areva, was in Ohio for the announcement. She said in a telephone interview with the NYT that nuclear power was the only choice for reliable, low-carbon energy.

From World Nuclear News

A new energy project was launched today based around a new nuclear power reactor on the site of the former uranium enrichment plant at Piketon, Ohio.

The plant is being proposed by a group dubbed the Southern Ohio Clean Energy Park Alliance which consists of site owner USEC, the utility Duke Energy, Areva and UniStar Nuclear Energy.

Thanks for the notice, folks!

AREVA CEO Anne Lauvergeon speaks at the announcement ceremony in Piketon, Ohio on June 18, 2009.

Who doesn’t like a little attention? We’re pretty flattered by the interest in the joint announcement of an alliance to develop the nation’s first Clean Energy Park as the Piketon site in Southern Ohio yesterday. Even more, we’re encouraged by the focus on nuclear energy. It’s great to see that this announcement is bringing focus to some important issues.

Rebecca Smith and Mark Peters, Wall Street Journal:

Ohio obtains more than 85% of its electricity from coal incineration, one of the highest amounts of any state. Looming federal carbon legislation could raise the cost of coal-based electricity in coming years, pushing utility companies like Duke to explore lower-carbon options.

Matthew L. Wald, from the New York Times’s Green Inc. blog, recognizing the strong suits of the location:

Ohio officials, though, hope for a ‘clean energy park’ with a reactor and the enrichment plant. Because the old enrichment process used so much electricity, the site has strong grid connections, and cooling water is available. It is also in a region hungry for industrial development.

The Huffington Post, reprinting an AP story by Terry Kinney:

The site of a former uranium enrichment plant tucked away in the hills of southern Ohio has the necessary infrastructure for a nuclear power plant — abundant water, a power grid and bipartisan political backing.

Mark Niquette, writing for the Columbus Dispatch, on Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland’s speech:

Speaking today on a stage in front of the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion plant, [Strickland] said the project would help revitalize southern Ohio’s economy while creating a clean energy source for a state and nation facing climate change.

The Dispatch also picked up on a special note from our CEO Anne Lauvergeon:

I say, ‘Let’s get to work … and go Buckeyes.’

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.

Last night AREVA North America recognized 168 of its manufacturers and service providers for dedication in service, safety, environmental conservation, and their longstanding relationships with AREVA. As integral business partners, these providers were named “AREVA Certified Suppliers,” having met demanding criteria based on quality, sustainable development, competitiveness, and 25 other subjective material.

AREVA CEO, Anne Lauvergeon, presented the certifications to company representatives during a ceremony held in Washington DC. In her speech, Lauvergeon discussed the importance of these supplier partnerships and the future of the industry:

Our future together is full of promise. Full of promise not only because nuclear power is coming back in full force. Full of promise because AREVA intends to remain the leading American as well as the leading global supplier of CO2 free energy products and services. Full of promise because our objective is not limited to building new reactors. We are building an industry that will provide a tremendous boost to the U.S. economy while creating thousands of jobs…we need sustainable partners to contribute to our common growth and our common success.

When accepting the supplier certification for FlowServe, CEO Lewis Kling spoke of how the current conversation on global energy needs “will no longer be enough.” He noted that “the Nuclear Energy Industry now must lead it. And through it all, everyone here must continue to support their customers in the most effective and efficient way possible with best-in-class service and innovative products.”

With over $1.5 billion in goods and services purchased by AREVA North America in 2008, recognizing and strengthening these relationships has great significance for the growth of CO2-free energy in the U.S and Canada.

Anne Lauvergeon, CEO of AREVA

Anne Lauvergeon is CEO of AREVA. This speech was given at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s 2009 Conference on Nonproliferation in Washington, D.C. on April 6, 2009. Previously: Part I – Part II – Part III

The nuclear industry itself can play an important role in making the acquisition of national enrichment and recycling facilities unnecessary and uneconomic. Thanks to a well-functioning fuel cycle market, with suppliers like AREVA that provide enrichment and used fuel recycling services at competitive prices, newcomers to nuclear energy simply do not need sensitive technologies! As well as many countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium, or Switzerland have enjoyed the benefits of nuclear energy for 40 years without mastering any sensitive technology! Fuel is supplied as part of long-term contracts, covered by export licenses. To make sure its products and services remain viable in the long term, the nuclear industry has already committed to major investments in new capacity.

I can see some of you reacting when I speak about recycling… Let me make a special focus on the recycling issue as I am convinced that this has to be the nerve centre of the partnership between nuclear industry and the non-proliferation community.

As we all know, there has been a long-standing debate about the merits of recycling and the management of the back-end of the fuel cycle.

• On one side is the once-through approach historically endorsed by the United States, which involves disposing of used fuel as a waste.
• On the other side is the recycling approach adopted by France, Japan, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and under consideration by China and India, which consists of recycling used fuel and recovering both plutonium and uranium to produce recycled fuel.

Concerns about proliferation risks of recycling were at the heart of the US policy, which was originally established on an interim basis by President Gerald Ford and extended by President Carter. The Bush Administration showed a new willingness to reconsider America’s once-through used fuel management strategy and to examine the merits of developing advanced technologies. We do not yet know what policy the Administration of President Barack Obama will adopt on recycling, but Secretary of Energy Steven Chu has expressed interest in continued research and development on recycling technologies.

Those decisions belong to the US Government and it is certainly not my role to interfere! Let me just give you my experience as a CEO of the world leader in this field. For this very reason, I might appear biased on the question of recycling… I am indeed guilty of such bias, but not for ideological or commercial reasons!

The closed fuel cycle approach is an industrial solution available today, and the inescapable path of the future. The experience shows that, under the right framework, treatment and recycling are a very good option, at a competitive cost. AREVA has treated more than 20 000 tons of spent fuel from 7 countries, on a commercial basis. Concretely, it means that the spent fuel used by our customers is taken back to La Hague, treated there in a way that enables to recycle 96% of it. The recycled materials are then taken to our facility in Melox, where MOX fuel is manufactured. This technique means that our customers have no access to any separated fissile materials, at any moment.

I am convinced that recycling is an economically, environmentally and socially responsible approach to the management of used nuclear fuel. I am always ready to share my views with skeptics and opponents, but I would first give them an advice: “please, come and see what recycling means to AREVA in our facilities! Come and visit AREVA’s recycling facility at La Hague and MOX fabricating in Melox!”

By sharing with you my experience, I would like to convince you that recycling used fuel and fabricating MOX fuel under effective safeguards and physical protection measures have not contributed and will not contribute to the weakening of the nonproliferation regime.

On the contrary, I believe that AREVA is contributing to reducing proliferation risks and being environmentally responsible. AREVA removes used fuel, recycles reusable material, and reduces the volume and radiotoxicity of waste. In the United States alone, if the US chooses to recycle, there is already enough used fuel in temporary storage at utility sites to generate enough electricity from nuclear origin to power the US for 7 years.

In addition AREVA is contributing to nuclear arms control and disarmament by
helping to eliminate weapons plutonium declared as excess by the United States in connection with its international commitments. We are building a MOX Fuel Fabrication Facility in Savannah River, South Carolina, based on our MELOX facility used to produce recycled fuel in France. This will enable the United States to convert 34 metric tons of surplus weapons-grade plutonium into MOX fuel for the elimination / destruction / disposition of nuclear weapons and the production of electricity in commercial nuclear plants! We are also part of the Global Threat Reduction Initiative of the DoE by recycling in La Hague separated plutonium, then used in MOX fuel.

As we all know here, MOX fuel is the only solution available in the short-term to reduce the surplus of weapons-grade plutonium. I think important to state it here, when President Obama has urged weapon-states to go further in nuclear disarmament. Let me say that AREVA is ready to deepen its partnering with the US Government.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

After the G20 Summit last week in London, some comments said that we may enter a new world as far as economy is concerned. For nuclear energy, it is already done! We have entered indeed a world where nuclear industry is not to be seen as part of the problem, as it could have in the past, nor as a passive actor, but as an active part of the solution; a world where efficiency and pragmatism have replaced prestige.

The ongoing nuclear renaissance offers us indeed a tremendous opportunity to meeting the energy, economic and environmental needs of both developed and developing countries, for the lifetime of our children and beyond. This, without increasing the risk of nuclear weapons!

On the contrary, I strongly believe that thanks to the partnership between all the stakeholders in non-proliferation – you, from the community of non-proliferation, me, as a representative of the nuclear industry, – we are able to seize this nuclear renaissance as the unique opportunity it is, the opportunity to enhancing the culture of nonproliferation among all the stakeholders of this renaissance.

Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for your attention. I’ll be happy to address and
deepen any questions you may want to tackle.