AREVA Inc. CEO Jacques Besnainou

To those who think “nuclear is dead, I do not agree at all…” On the sidelines of the event, Besnainou said that he doesn’t think the cost of building new nuclear power plants will rise as a result of the disaster at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi power plant. He rejected the argument that licensing a new reactor will now take longer, or that increased resistance from the public would cause the price to go up.

“Nuclear is the cheapest” power source, Besnainou said, adding that this is so even if one includes both the cost of building a new plant and then retiring it. Although building a plant might cost between $5 billion and $7 billion, Besnainou said that it then “becomes a cash machine.” The operational cost is very predictable….”

“Whatever our emotions, the facts are stubborn,” he said in his speech. But because of the high upfront cost of nuclear, Besnainou said that the U.S. must continue funding federal loan guarantees, which ensure that such projects can get cheap debt.

He also shared his industry expertise on Bloomberg earlier this morning.

And on the ABC affiliate in Lynchburg, Va. Mike Rencheck, AREVA INC COO talks about the impact on the American nuclear industry.

Video can be viewed here.

Taishan 1 EPR construction site in China.

Jacques Besnainou, CEO of AREVA North America, said safety was a selling point for his firm’s EPR, which has a system to catch and cool a molten core in the event of a major accident.

Despite the challenges of building new plants, he said, AREVA is benefiting from its experience in Finland and France, and the two EPR projects are on schedule.

“The key here is to be able to demonstrate that we can build a new reactor on time and on budget,” he said. “Once we do that, the renaissance as a whole is golden.”

Click here to read the rest of the article.

“AREVA Won’t Build a Prototype” from the New Brunswick Business Journal

Jacques Besnainou, chief executive officer of Areva Inc. in North America, was in Saint John Thursday to announce plans to examine the feasibility of building a reactor and creating a clean energy park here and sign a letter of intent with the province. He told the Telegraph-Journal that if the project ultimately goes forward, construction of a reactor will begin by around 2015. By that time, Areva will have completed third generation-plus reactors in Finland, France and China.

From the Telegraph Journal, Possible Lepreau 2 Good News, Say Business Groups

The prospect of a second nuclear reactor creating up to 8,500 direct and indirect jobs, investments in education and growth of the energy hub is good news for the region, business associations say. “We can see the lift that big projects have given to Saint John as a community,” said Mike Murphy, chairman of the Saint John Board of Trade.

“A project like this would bring additional jobs and wealth and prosperity to our community and help us sustain that core momentum,” he said.

From CBC News, AREVA, N.B. Reveal Nuclear Plans

“The New Brunswick government recognizes the integral role the energy sector has in growing our economy,” said [Premier Shawn] Graham in a media release.

“Although this announcement is just a first step, a project of this magnitude would create 8,500 direct and indirect jobs for New Brunswickers in all regions of our province.”

After watching the clip, let us know if you agree or disagree with what the experts said.

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

We’ve collected some of the highlights from last Friday’s first “Jacques Talk” conference call with AREVA North America President Jacques Besnainou. The conversation was wide-ranging and open, and we’re really glad Jacques had the opportunity to talk directly with the nuclear energy blogging community. If you’re a nuclear energy blogger and you’d like to be in on the next conference call, send us an email.

They’re all in MP3 format.

Jacques Besnainou on the NYT Article about Olkiluoto

Jacques Besnainou on Recycling

Jacques Besnainou on Canadian Loan Guarantees

Jacques Besnainou on Lessons Learned from Olkiluoto

Jacques Besnainou on International Enrichment Markets

If you’d like to listen to the whole call unedited, you can download it here.