Anne Lauvergeon, CEO AREVA

She offered “her perspective on how to satisfy growing global energy needs while decreasing carbon dioxide emissions, protecting natural resources, and maintaining price stability and competition.”

Click here to access CFR’s site for the full-length video.

This originally appeared in today’s issue of The Energy Daily.

A “meaningful agreement.”

President Obama refused to take no for an answer as he negotiated with world leaders during the recent UN climate conference in Copenhagen to set a new course for battling climate change.

Certainly there were many challenges when leaders from 193 nations attempted to establish goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Frankly, the idea that a two-week conference could come up with a plan to curb greenhouse gas emissions was a tall order. The hope was the Copenhagen conference would help build the framework for a lasting agreement. As Fred Krupp of the Environmental Defense Fund put it, “This is the normal rhythm of international negotiations.”

It appears President Obama, working in concert with other world leaders, was able to come up with an acceptable starting point.

There is no simple answer to this complex issue, just as there is no silver bullet for developing a sustainable world energy mix capable of producing more energy with less carbon emissions in a competitive manner.

Copenhagen, although not as successful as many hoped, showed the importance of national leaders working together to create a ladder of cooperation through which an agreement can be hammered out.

As world energy demand grows, providing security of supply, fair competition and environmental sustainability means improving our current and future energy systems with a good dose of “innovative thinking,” free of prejudice and ideologies. It means developing a new vision and partnerships to provide a sustainable answer to climate change and how we generate and use energy.

Some countries have stepped up to demonstrate their willingness to take action and are expected to formalize their commitments in the coming months in a Copenhagen accord.

President Obama offered to reduce U.S. emissions by 17 percent by 2020, and the European Union has pledged to reduce its emissions by 20 percent by 2020.

Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama set the ambitious objective of a 25 percent reduction of his country’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.On a bilateral level, Presidents Nicolas Sarkozy of France and Luis Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil worked together to get everybody on board.

Developed nations also agreed to mobilize $100 billion annually from public and private sources beginning in 2020 to fund sustainable development, mitigation and adaptation in developing countries, if they agree to verifiable emission targets. Our expectation is that this will be accomplished primarily through market-based approaches.

China and India agreed to substantially reduce the carbon intensity of their economies by 2020.

The fact that representatives from so many countries and organizations were willing to meet in Copenhagen is clear proof of their willingness and desire to work together. AREVA and Duke Energy stand ready to do their part.

Our two companies have formed a joint partnership called ADAGE to pursue the development of a series of 50-megawatt biopower plants in the United States that will use wood waste to produce electricity.

AREVA and Duke are also working together on the Southern Ohio Clean Energy Park Alliance to bring new nuclear generation to that region.

When it comes to nuclear energy, we cannot let emotional barriers stand in our way. There are certainly issues that must be dealt with, including spent fuel disposal, but nuclear generation is the only generation that can operate around the clock and emits no greenhouse gases. We have proven its safety, reliability and cost effectiveness over the past several decades. It should be fundamental to our energy strategy.

Fighting climate change and making our energy systems more secure are both a strategic and ethical directive for the business world. It is about more than showing awareness on the unquestionable reality of climate change. It’s about demonstrating the commitment, swiftness and imagination to change the course of events and make the right investments.

The private sector cannot do it alone. We need our governments to forge a coordinated action plan that favors sustainable development and recognizes that solutions to our economic, energy and climate realities go hand in hand in hand.

Choosing clean and affordable energy means developing our industrial capabilities, to drive sustainable growth and job creation for our communities and the world’s economy. Climate legislation that puts a price on greenhouse gas emissions will jumpstart the development of cleaner energy and make it more competitive with fossil fuels.

If we are to meet the challenge of dealing with climate change, the international community must continue to work together to build that ladder of cooperation — rung-by-rung — until a viable solution is achieved.

Copenhagen demonstrated that world leaders are willing to work together toward a solution. Several of the world’s largest industries also voiced their support in the effort.

That’s at least a good beginning.

Jacques Besnainou AREVA Inc. CEO

In the January edition of Electroindustry—a publication from the National Electrical Manufacturers Association—AREVA Inc. CEO Jacques Besnainou discusses how changes in renewable energy and grid standards are an essential part of transforming the U.S. energy sector.

“But, while everyone agrees the outcome from Copenhagen may take a few years to be ratified and implemented, it is encouraging that many countries, including the U.S., Canada, EU, and China, are moving forward with their own actions to lower their carbon footprints and transition to low-carbon economies.”

Besnainou points out that in addition to federal actions, some states have adopted Renewable Portfolio Standards (PRS), “which together constitute another key driver of renewable energy.”

“Many states in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions have expressed interest in offshore wind. We have seen similar interest in coastal provinces of Eastern Canada. AREVA, as part of a strong commitment to supplying the world with clean, CO2-free energy, is making significant investments in offshore wind in the U.S. and Canada. We believe that standards will make offshore wind a sustainable market and we are encouraged by the projections from the American and Canadian Wind Associations.”

Equally important in the development of renewable energy is the need for “interconnection standards that eliminate barriers to connecting offshore and onshore wind plants to transmission systems. The existing grid interconnection standards must continue to evolve and be flexible as the technology advances.”

Read the rest of the piece “Standards Increase Renewable Energy, Facilitate Grid Interconnection,” on page 3 here.

For more information about what AREVA is doing in renewable energy and offshore wind can also be found here.

Governor Jan Brewer

And more news about the need for both nuclear energy and renewables, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer “wants more nuclear power for in state.” According to the Associated Press, Brewer said Tuesday that “the state should include more nuclear power plants in its energy portfolio while cutting taxes and government regulation to provide a welcome mat for solar and wind projects encountering “green tape” elsewhere.

Said Brewer, “Memo to California solar industries: Arizona’s door is open, we’ll leave the light on for you.”

Brewer outlined a portfolio of positions and initiatives on energy topics during an address to a regional business summit held at a Phoenix resort.

Arizona already is home to the three-reactor Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station west of Phoenix, and Brewer said she wants to develop more nuclear power.

No new nuclear power plant has been built in the U.S. for decades but economic and environmental factors warrant a new emphasis on that electricity source, Brewer said.

“I believe it’s the wave of the future,” she said.”

Read the rest of the piece by Paul Davenport of the Associated Press here.

Rendering of proposed Gadsden plant

Residents, area leaders, and local business people from Greater Gadsden County packed the City Commission Building in Gretna, Florida on Wednesday to learn about ADAGE’s new partnership with the community to build its second biopower facility in Florida.

ADAGE President Reed Wills joined City of Gretna Mayor Anthony Baker, Gadsden County Commission Chairman Eugene Lamb, State Representative Alan Williams, and Chamber of Commerce Executive Director David Gardner to deliver this exciting news.

Photo Caption: From Left: Reed Wills, President, ADAGE; Anthony Baker, Mayor, City of Gretna; Eugene Lamb, Chairman, Gadsden County Commission; David Gardner, Executive Director, Gadsden County Chamber of Commerce; and Representative Alan Williams

“We are excited to partner with the community here in Gadsden County as ADAGE continues to work to build a biopower industry in Florida that will deliver clean energy and new economic development to the state,” said Reed Wills. “ADAGE looks forward to working with the City of Gretna to deliver new job opportunities to Florida in 2010.”

“The people of Gretna share ADAGE’s vision for creating new economic development opportunities through 21st century clean energy technology,” said Gretna Mayor Anthony J. Baker.

ADAGE has secured the rights to a site in Gretna and plans to submit the applications for the state environmental permits before the end of the year. ADAGE hopes to begin construction before the end of 2010.

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!

Senator Pete DomeniciBy Katherine Berezowskyj

By Katherine Berezowskyj

Today at the National Press Club, Sen. Pete Domenici called on U.S. leadership to really engage and begin work on the question of used nuclear fuel. Domenici declared that “the United States lags in the development and deployment of new nuclear technologies.” In particular, he asserted that:

“America is stalled in thinking about used nuclear fuel. Other countries have developed, or are in advanced stages of developing, strategies to address waste and non-proliferation concerns. Countries like France and Japan have been applying recycling technology to reduce waste volume by 75 percent or more. They have been tackling this challenge for years. We are stuck in policies that are more than 30 years old.”

Domenici called for a waste management strategy to concentrate on the “deployment of a strong domestic capability [that] is necessary to provide the foundation for the United States to participate in any meaningful way in the global management of used nuclear fuel.”

Building recycling infrastructure is important for non-proliferation initiatives like the 123 Agreement with the United Arab Emirates. To develop its own nuclear energy program, the U.A.E. has agreed to not pursue uranium enrichment or to recycle the used fuel. According to Domenici, “this is a model that, with modifications, may work in future agreements with other nations. However, this model requires adequate international infrastructure to responsibly manage used fuel through arrangements for take-back, treatment, recycling, and storage of spent fuel. America’s present domestic policy is out of step with our demonstrated technology and scientific abilities.”

Domenici is challenging the United States to jumpstart our domestic resurgence and provide credible international leadership-”The global resurgence of nuclear power is a reality. We need to recognize that and provide leadership in the areas of non-proliferation and waste treatment.”

You can find the full text of his speech here on the Bipartisan Policy Center site.

All these proposals are notable for the emerging political reality they represent. Nuclear power is low in carbon emissions, domestically generated, and it’s particularly popular in the Southeast and some Midwestern states.That means liberal Democrats, who have often railed against nuclear energy because of the radioactive waste it produces, will almost certainly have to fork over money for nuclear to win the votes for their climate bill.

But the difference in the jobs is quite different, because if you’re wiping off a solar panel, it’s sort of a minimum wage type of job, [with] much higher compensation for nuclear engineers and nuclear operators. If our goal is to rebuild the middle class, nuclear plays a key role there, particularly if coal is out of the equation.

He also talks about the U.S. regaining its role as the leader in nuclear energy:

People forget that [the United States was] the innovator of nuclear energy. We developed the technologies. And what people have also forgotten is that 20 percent of our electricity comes from nuclear, and that we produce twice the amount of electricity from nuclear than any country in the world. We sit here today, not turning dirt on a single nuclear plant. [. . .] We have a competitive advantage on building nuclear, on building recycling to address the spent fuel, and that would be a great loss of opportunity if we don’t find a way to seize it and rebuild the supply.

Like Mark Flanagan said, we could spend all day highlighting great lines from this interview, but it would probably be better if you just read the interview for yourself.  You should also know that Duke Energy is teaming up with AREVA on the ADAGE joint venture focusing on the biopower sector. ADAGE was recently in the news because JEA, the energy company for Jacksonville, Florida, announced that it plans to power 40,000 homes with power generated from ADAGE’s biomass plants.  We’re proud to be working with Duke Energy and Jim Rogers, who clearly “gets it” when it comes to the future of energy generation in the U.S.

• More posts about ADAGE Biopower
• Official Website for ADAGE Biopower