by Jarret Adams

Vice President Joe Biden

According to a report by Vice President Joe Biden, the administration’s clean energy programs are expected to help create some 700,000 jobs. He said that the $787 billion Recovery Act is helping spur investment in new clean energy technologies, including wind, solar, energy efficiency and perhaps even nuclear energy. According to the ABC News blog:

“I’m pleased to report that the administration is laying the foundation for a clean energy economy that will create a new generation of jobs, reduce dependence on oil and enhance national security,” Biden begins his memo to Obama.

Biden notes in the memo that “Recovery Act investments in renewable generation and advanced energy manufacturing of $23 billion will likely create 253,000 jobs and leverage over $43 billion in additional investment that could support up to 469,000 more jobs, putting us on track to meet the goal of doubling our renewable energy generation, including solar, wind and geothermal, in just 3 years.”

Smart grid investments through the plan are expected to create some 43,000 jobs. AREVA T&D is participating in one of these initiatives to develop the smart grid systems.

Regarding nuclear energy, the Vice President also reports that “by the end of our first two years in office, we will have provided conditional commitments for loan guarantees for two nuclear power operators to add three to four new nuclear reactors.”

That’s great, but weren’t there four companies listed as finalists for the loan guarantees? And DOE officials have said that the first loan guarantee for a nuclear project could be issued by the end of this year.

by Jarret Adams

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland speaks at AREVA's Ohio Supplier Day

AREVA’s second U.S. Supplier Day in Columbus, Ohio, saw another capacity turnout with representatives from more than 100 companies from the state and region. AREVA held the event to find new partner companies to help supply and build U.S. EPR™ nuclear plants in the United States, including possibly one in southern Ohio, and other export opportunities around the world.

Several leading energy companies, including AREVA, formed an alliance in June to develop America’s first clean energy park project at a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) site in Piketon, Ohio. The Southern Ohio Clean Energy Park Alliance will evaluate the DOE Portsmouth site as a potential location for a new nuclear power plant. The initial focus of the project is on AREVA’s U.S. EPR™ technology.

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland kicked off the event last night with a strong endorsement of nuclear energy: “I have been pro-nuclear since before it was cool.” He added, “Frankly, if climate change is our next big challenge—and I believe it is—it is irresponsible to ignore the only source of baseload electricity that produces no carbon emissions.”

A new U.S. EPR™ project would create thousands of jobs and spur significant local investment, but such a project also would require hundreds of qualified suppliers and subcontractors. That’s the reason AREVA is holding its Supplier Days now.

“AREVA came to Ohio to look for partners to manufacture and supply the thousands of components and to build U.S. EPR™ nuclear plants that are truly ‘Made in America,’ and further realize our vision of revitalizing America’s energy infrastructure,” said Mike Rencheck, President and CEO of AREVA NP Inc. “We have been overwhelmed by the strong response to our call for partners.”

The Ohio Supplier Day is the second of our planned events; the first was held in Baltimore in November.

by Lisa Peterson

Who are we?

A few weeks ago, I introduced AREVA Federal Services as an AREVA subsidiary that works to support the Department of Energy’s projects throughout the United States. In my last blog entry, I talked about our work in nuclear waste cleanup and how we contribute to nuclear nonproliferation. In this blog entry, I will discuss AREVA Federal Services’ role and experience in nuclear energy and sciences and radioactive waste services.

AREVA Federal Services supports these projects because they promote the use of nuclear power as an energy source.

Nuclear Energy and Sciences

AREVA Federal Services actively supports projects that advance nuclear energy to develop new nuclear energy generation technologies, such as the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP). The NGNP project that we support is a research and development project which consists of the research and development of the design, construction and operation of a prototype nuclear power plant. The type of nuclear power plant that this project is research is one that will be used in the near future, in the next 30 years or so.

Radioactive Waste Services

AREVA Federal Services is a leader in developing and licensing packages and handling equipment for the nuclear industry, and is instrumental in the design and licensing of many of the modern packages in daily use throughout the U.S. and around the world. The division deploys solutions to meet licensing, engineering, and maintenance challenges that packages, such as the Hanford Unirradiated Fuel Package shown below, face for permanent disposal of used fuel and high level waste.

Transportation Cask

This is just an example of some of the things we support and participate in. We do so much more! Thanks and come again!

by Mary Beth Ginder

AREVA North America President Jacques Besnainou chatted today with members of the North American Young Generation in Nuclear (NA-YGN) in a webinar session hosted by NA-YGN’s professional development committee. Jacques spoke informally and answered member’s questions about the need for nuclear recycling capabilities in the U.S. Recycling offers a safe, competitive and sustainable way to deal with used fuel. As we wait for the Department of Energy Blue-Ribbon panel to weigh different options for managing used fuel, the AREVA model for recycling offers a proven solution for conserving resources and creating a more sustainable fuel cycle.

As a follow up to the webinar chat, here are a couple of PDF documents that might be of interest:

• a Boston Consulting group study on “Economic Assessment of Used Nuclear Fuel Management in the United States”
• Recycling Slideshow from Jacques Besnainou

by Katherine Berezowskyj

If you are going to be at the GridWeek conference in our nation’s capital this week, be sure to check out booth #103. Here, AREVA’s Transmission & Distribution (T&D) division is demonstrating its unique system for integrating its Smart Grid technologies and renewable power generation.

AREVA T&D's Booth at GridWeek

AREVA’s Smart Grid Suite, which includes a range of e-terra products, helps to manage and optimize the grid efficiency. As part of AREVA’s work in grid efficiency, AREVA was awarded a Department of Energy grant in July to study global best practices in grid tools and operations for wind plants. This will provide the basis for the U.S. grid to operate with more wind power generation

This is a complimentary effort for expanding CO2-free power generation that supports AREVA’s rapidly growing renewable sector. Some of the major projects currently under development around the world include biopower (biomass to electricity) and offshore wind.

by Katherine Berezowskyj

Yesterday Japan’s Chugoku EPCo utility signed a contract for AREVA to supply 40 Mixed-Oxide (MOX) fuel assemblies for one of the reactors at the Shimane nuclear power plant located in the city of Matsue.

MOX fuel is a distinct blend of uranium and plutonium oxides, but is particularly interesting because the plutonium used in the fuel is recovered from used nuclear fuel and fabricated into MOX fuel at AREVA’s MELOX plant in southern France. AREVA has decades of experience fabricating MOX fuel assemblies that have been used for energy generation in several countries including the United States, Germany, Switzerland, France, and Japan.

And right now AREVA is in the process of bringing this recycling expertise to the United States. As Shaw AREVA MOX Services LLC, we are currently constructing the MOX Fuel Fabrication Facility at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. This Department of Energy project will be a facility that removes surplus weapons-grade plutonium and recycles it to make MOX fuel for use in nuclear reactors. When completed, the facility will have the capacity to take 3.5 metric tons of weapons-grade plutonium and turn it into MOX fuel each year, providing the United States with important energy and non-proliferation benefits.

To find out more about the MOX Fuel Fabrication Facility, click here.

by Jarret Adams

In a wide-ranging interview on National Public Radio this morning, Energy Secretary Steven Chu expressed strong support for the expansion of nuclear energy in the United States to meet our nation’s energy needs.

Dr. Chu explained his support for nuclear energy because it is carbon-free and becoming increasingly competitive. He added that “the safety record of nuclear power plants has been really very good.”

Regarding safety, he concluded that if the choice is coal vs. nuclear energy, “I would rather live near a nuclear power plant.”

Dr. Chu characterizes the way we manage nuclear waste as “solvable,” noting that we have geological sites that are promising and can develop new fast reactors that can “burn up” the waste products as fuel.

We don’t dispute the notion that new-generation fast reactor could offer improvements to future waste management. However, we at AREVA have been safely and effectively recycling used fuel for decades at our facilities in France.

This process can reduce the volume of waste for disposal by a factor of five and its toxicity by a factor of 10. Recycling nuclear fuel also will reduce the space required in a geological repository. Even under the current once-through fuel cycle used in the United States, used fuel is safely and securely stored at nuclear plant sites around the country.

Click here for the rest of the NPR interview with Secretary Chu.

Congressman Mike Simpson spoke on the U.S. House floor today during debate of the energy and water appropriation bill:

The Loan Guarantee Program is one of the few policy tools we have that delivers immediately available, market-ready, innovative clean energy technologies that will have a positive impact on our economy. Congress has authorized $2 billion in loan guarantee authority for front-end nuclear facilities. D.O.E. should be recognized for their work creating a Loan Guarantee Program that has sound criteria to ensure the protection of taxpayers and award guarantees to the most creditworthy projects.

A little bit about the loan guarantee program: The Department of Energy’s Loan Guarantee Program is designed to facilitate financing for sound investments in innovative, new clean energy facilities, like nuclear power plants and enrichment facilities. However, it’s not a government grant or a “giveaway.” Applicants must demonstrate a solid business plan with technology to reduce CO2 emissions. Another important consideration, according to DOE, is the ability to show “reasonable prospect of repayment” of the loan.

In the current credit environment, capital is less readily available for large scale projects that have the potential to create thousands of new jobs. Investments in base-load energy sources like nuclear power promote American energy security by making the nation less reliant on foreign imports and will help America meet its energy needs with CO2-free sources.

To learn more about the Loan Guarantee Program, check out this page on the DOE’s website.

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.

Yesterday, President Obama said in a BBC interview: “Without going into specifics, what I do believe is that Iran has legitimate energy concerns, legitimate aspirations. On the other hand, the international community has a very real interest in preventing a nuclear arms race in the region.”

Thus, we thought that this would be a good time to highlight AREVA’s commitment to non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, and our being a partner in the US Department of Energy’s Global Threat Reduction Initiative. As it says on the DOE’s site:

The mission of the Global Threat Reduction Initiative (GTRI) is to reduce and protect vulnerable nuclear and radiological materials located at civilian sites worldwide. GTRI helps the Department of Energy achieve its Nuclear Security Goal to prevent the acquisition of nuclear and radiological materials…Three key subprograms of GTRI –Convert, Remove, and Protect—provide a comprehensive approach to denying terrorists access to nuclear and radiological materials.

As part of this commitment to remove weapons-grade material from stockpiles, AREVA has partnered with the Shaw Group to build the MOX Fuel Fabrication Facility at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. This facility when complete with convert the weapons-grade plutonium into MOX fuel for use in commercial nuclear power plants. This $4.9 billion project now under construction employs some 1,000 workers and is being built for DOE.