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.

Greenpeace militants yesterday boarded a ship transporting steam generators to the Olkiluoto 3 EPR reactor in Finland.

The organization’s action, taken in the run-up to December’s climate summit in Copenhagen, is a protest against nuclear energy, which it claims would harm efforts to combat climate change.

Once again, Greenpeace has attacked the wrong target – while no one claims nuclear power is THE solution, it is widely accepted as being ONE of the solutions that can help reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.

To quote a well-known saying, “Our house is burning and we are looking the other way.” If we apply this metaphor, then Greenpeace’s attempts to stand in the way of nuclear power is like preventing a trusted fire service from getting to the blaze.

In the United States, for example, nuclear energy is by far the largest source of CO2-free electricity production and plays a significant role in preventing additional greenhouse gas emissions.  Its role in preventing emissions is even greater in France, because the country receives roughly 80% of its electricity from nuclear energy.

AREVA is saddened that Greenpeace refuses to engage in a calmer debate on energy issues. According to AREVA spokesperson Jacques-Emmanuel Saulnier, “This buccaneering behavior is the thanks AREVA gets for opening up to this association, which for instance was welcomed just last week to its mining sites in Niger. If Greenpeace wants to find out more about steam generators, it doesn’t need to show off like this – the doors of the Chalon Saint-Marcel plant are wide open for it to come and see how these reactor components are made.”

by Jarret Adams

AREVA’s Transmission and Distribution (T&D) division has announced that it has extended its three-year collaboration with Microsoft for the development of Smarter Grid Management solutions, so the global power industry can manage electricity demand more efficiently.

AREVA and Microsoft already provide AREVA customers with some key capabilities for managing the grid. Under the new agreement, the two companies will work to improve cybersecurity and integration with Microsoft Office tools.

Some other benefits are that the new smart grid systems are better at managing distribution generation and renewables. AREVA displayed some of its Microsoft-based smart grid solutions at DistribuTECH in San Diego earlier this year.

AREVA’s efforts to improve the efficiency of the grid through its T&D applications constitute one of three main pillars for fighting climate change. The other two are nuclear energy and renewables, which produce electricity without producing any significant amount of greenhouse gases.

On a blog hosted by the Augusta Chronicle, reporter Rob Pavey provides a good summary of the situation at the MOX facility at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. Shaw AREVA MOX Services is building the facility which will convert nuclear weapons material into mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel for U.S. nuclear power plants. The reporter effectively describes why there have been some misunderstandings in the media regarding reports issued on the MOX Project. He writes:

The mixed oxide, or “MOX” facility, emerged in the crosshairs of an audit unveiled last week by DOE’s Inspector General, whose critical findings included the purchase of 9,500 tons of substandard rebar for the $4.8 billion project.

However, he notes that this issue was not new and already had been resolved:

Last December, just a couple weeks before Christmas, a different federal agency—the Nuclear Regulatory Commission—filled a conference room in Aiken with scientists and government officials to talk about essentially the same thing.

The commission’s inspectors spent more than 4,300 staff hours over a two-year period evaluating all aspects of the MOX project, including quality control programs, construction activities and recordkeeping, said Deborah Seymour, chief of the NRC’s Construction Projects Inspection Branch.

“There were no specific areas that needed improvement,” she said at the time, noting that the only “minor violations” were detected.

The NRC’s clean bill of health for the project was made with full knowledge of the faulty rebar issue, which had also been explored in a Dec. 10 report issued by the House Energy and Water Subcommittee.

To read more: Who’s keeping an eye on Savannah River Site? Apparently, everyone.

It bears mentioning once again that Shaw AREVA MOX Services is committed to building a safe, well-constructed facility that protects its workers, the public and the environment. Our work on the construction of the MOX Facility has always met the most stringent safety and quality standards and that will never change.

AREVA has launched a new U.S. Web site focused on its products and services in the United States that reinforces the company’s leadership position in providing CO2-free energy technology.

AREVA North America President Jacques Besnainou said, “This new Web site offers something for everyone, from bloggers and journalists to government officials, job seekers, and the general public. AREVA’s online presence reinforces not only our policy of transparency, but also our U.S. position as a CO2-free energy technology leader and thinker.”

The new Web site includes the following features to provide visitors with easy-to-find information about AREVA’s strong U.S. presence and activities:

*Detailed information on AREVA’s CO2-free energy technology expertise, including a section on our renewable energy offering
*A career section covering AREVA’s U.S. and international jobs, as well as on-campus recruitment fairs
The latest group and U.S. news, as well as upcoming events
*Focus reports on key projects, including U.S. EPR™ reactor technology, the Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility, and AREVA Newport News, LLC, among others.

AREVA’s new Web site can be found at www.us.areva.com.

Mox Fuel Fabrication Facility Under Construction

By Jarret Adams

The MOX Fuel Fabrication Facility under construction in South Carolina recently passed the milestone of 2 million work hours completed without a lost time incident. This facility is an important project because it will take weapons-grade material in our nation’s stockpiles and convert into mixed oxide (MOX) fuel for commercial nuclear power plants. Shaw AREVA MOX Services is justifiably proud to be part of this important project.

As a result, the MOX facility serves two important goals: it disposes of excess nuclear weapons material and provides nuclear plant fuel to generate electricity for Americans.

When you think about it, if the goal is to eliminate nuclear weapons from the nation’s stockpiles as President Obama stated in Prague over the weekend, a facility such as the MOX project is one of the best solutions available today.

The MOX project continues to have strong government and industry support. MOX Services received last May the option to construct the $4.86 billion facility.

AREVA has safely produced MOX fuel at its facilities in France for approximately 35 years. MOX fuel also is used by utilities in many other countries, including Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Japan. Just last week, AREVA announced a major contract to supply MOX fuel to a Japanese utility.

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.

By Jarret Adams

Today’s announcement of a memorandum of understanding for 80 offshore wind turbines for AREVA’s subsidiary Multibrid signals a major step forward for our renewable business.  Apart from the fact that this will be a contract worth over $900 million for AREVA, it reinforces our position as a major player in the renewables sector.

These wind turbines will be located off the North Sea coast of Germany, but AREVA is looking for opportunities for new business at various locations in North America. Our company remains one of a handful capable of producing the 5 MW offshore wind turbines.

AREVA also is involved in other renewable sectors, such as biopower (biomass to electricity). We have constructed 100 biomass facilities around the world and are now looking to build more in the United States.

Last September, AREVA and Duke Energy formed ADAGE, a joint venture focused on providing biopower solutions to U.S. electricity customers. Since its formation, ADAGE has moved forward with the goal of building 10-12 facilities over the next six years. In February, ADAGE announced a preliminary agreement with Energy Northwest to market 50 MW biopower facilities in Pacific Northwest.

Developing solutions for power generations with a small environmental impact from renewables, such as wind and biomass, along with clean nuclear energy is a main focus of our business.

By Laura Clise
Sustainable Development & Continuous Improvement

In the current economic environment, more people have started to question the staying-power of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and sustainability programs. Thought leaders and practitioners have made the case that sustainable development programs and initiatives should remain intact despite cost cutting.  Still, the economic crisis has presented an opportunity for reconciling whether all of the recent buzz and glitz surrounding CSR and sustainability are more than glossy reports and marketing mechanisms.

AREVA proves that when companies effectively align their economic, social and environmental responsibility commitments with their strategic business objectives, sustainable development endures. 

From our 10 commitments, to quarterly reporting on sustainable development metrics, to the “AREVA Way” continuous improvement initiative used across the group to facilitate economic, social and environmental progress, sustainable development and continuous improvement frame AREVA’s management and strategy processes.

But for those not satiated by metrics and management systems, how about a program that encourages collaboration and sustainable innovation among AREVA’s employees around the world?  I recently participated as a member of the AREVA Sustainable Development Awards  Assessment Committee.  This group meets every other year to recognize projects that best incorporate economic, social, and environmental benefit and align with AREVA’s 10 commitments.

From training at-risk youth regarding environmental protection to reduce workforce turnover and absenteeism, to instilling a continuous improvement culture that drives reduction in waste and energy consumption, to partnering with suppliers to improve their material and energy efficiency, AREVA teams continue to improve our economic, social and environmental performance.

When we think through the lens of sustainable development, it is exciting to explore what is possible through this kind of innovation and collaboration.

Yucca Mountain

During a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing yesterday, the discussion of the future of the Yucca Mountain project raised the possibility of recycling nuclear fuel as part of the nation’s used fuel management strategy.

Recycling nuclear fuel would enable us to reduce the volume of material for disposal by a factor of at least four and reduce toxicity by a factor 10 (based on experience in France). It also turns the most difficult waste into a vitrified form (glass logs) that is more stable, durable and manageable for long-term storage in a repository. If recycled, the 60,000 metric tons of used fuel stored at nuclear plant sites could provide enough fuel to power America’s 104 nuclear reactors for seven to eight years.

If the U.S. turns to recycling we could defer having to find and build a second or third repository, perhaps forever. Recycling would postpone or eliminate the need for additional repository capacity. There’s no doubt that locating a geological repositories requires some level of acceptance by the local community. But this task would be made easier if you can limit its size and avoid having to build multiple repositories.

AREVA has recycled used fuel in France for customers in Europe and Japan for several decades and continues to do so today. This technology is safe, mature and cost effective. In the United States, we recycle glass, aluminum and paper; why not recycle nuclear fuel? In addition to the reduction in the amount of waste we must dispose, we would also conserve the amount of new uranium that we must use. Facing the expansion of nuclear energy worldwide, this is important to consider in terms of U.S. energy security as well.

In the end, we believe that recycling is just common sense.