nuclear-news

AREVA trying to boost nuclear sales, will change reactor design

Areva May Revise Atmea Nuclear-Reactor Design to Work With EDF, – Bloomberg, By Francois de Beaupuy – Feb 11, 2011 , Areva, France’s state-controlled maker of nuclear plants, may amend the design of the Atmea reactor it’s developing with a Japanese partner to meet demands of Electricite de France SA and boost its export chances…Claude Jaouen, deputy head of Areva’s reactors and services unit, at a conference in Paris today sponsored by newspaper Les Echos. “EDF wants an optimized Atmea” that may be less complex to build and have different safety options, he said. Atmea, a 1,150-megawatt reactor that’s being developed by Paris-based Areva and Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., may also receive some input from a Chinese partner, he said, without elaborating or identifying the company. The reactor, which has yet to be sold, has been shortlisted by Jordan along with a Russian and a Canadian model.

The French government has urged state-controlled EDF and Areva to forge a strategic partnership after the heads of the two companies publicly blamed each other for the loss of a contract in Abu Dhabi in 2009. Henri Proglio, chief executive officer of EDF, the biggest nuclear operator, said in December that the company wants to begin studying the development of a 1,000-megawatt reactor.

The French government will meet on nuclear strategy and the organization of the industry in March, Industry Minister Eric Besson said today.

Areva May Revise Atmea Nuclear-Reactor Design to Work With EDF – Bloomberg

February 11, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | France