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French govt tries to settle nuclear power companies’ brawl

“Knives are out, the fight is far from being over,” a person familiar with the matter told Dow Jones Newswires.

‘Knives Are Out’ in French Nuclear Spat – WSJ By Geraldine Amiel, July 28, 2010 The French government Tuesday announced a far-reaching alliance between state-controlled utility Electricite de France and state nuclear engineering group Areva, that makes EDF Chairman and Chief Executive Henri Proglio the country’s undisputed nuclear team leader. Continue reading

July 29, 2010 Posted by | business and costs, France | , , , , , | Leave a comment

France steps up security in its uranium colony, Niger

Areva extracts almost half its uranium from Niger, where it has been active for 40 years.

French nuclear giant steps up security after hostage killing, Expatica France, 27 July, 2010, French nuclear power giant Areva said Tuesday it had stepped up security around its sites in the West African country of Niger after Al-Qaeda murdered a French hostage captured in the region…… Continue reading

July 28, 2010 Posted by | Niger, safety | , , , , , | Leave a comment

EDF takeover in France’s nuclear empire?

it has ambitions to dominate the global market, building its latest-generation EPR reactor around the world and introducing it next-generation reactor ATMEA.

French Govt: EDF, Areva In Strategic Nuclear Partnership – WSJ.com-By A.H. Mooradian and Geraldine Amiel, Dow Jones Newswires;PARIS  27 July 2010, –The French government Tuesday announced a far-reaching alliance between State-controlled utility giant Electricite de France (EDF.FR) and State nuclear engineering group Areva SA (CEI.FR), Continue reading

July 28, 2010 Posted by | business and costs, France | , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Safety problems add to costs, overruns, in AREVA’s new nuclear plants

Areva, the state-controlled French nuclear engineering company, is already battling construction delays and cost overruns at both Flamanville and Olkiluoto, in Finland, where it is building the first of its EPR plants.

Safety Fears Raised at French Reactor, NYTimes.com, By PATRICIA BRETT July 26, 2010, PARIS — Anti-nuclear activists are seeking to halt construction of France’s latest-generation nuclear power plant at Flamanville, on the Normandy coast, arguing that changes introduced to solve problems with the reactor’s fuel pellet cladding have invalidated the plant’s original building permit. Continue reading

July 27, 2010 Posted by | business and costs, France | , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Control rods, cladding, MOX fuel – unsafety of AREVA’s new nuclear reactors

EDF engineers had concluded by 2007 that the entire core of the reactor should be reconfigured.

Safety Fears Raised at French Reactor, NYTimes.com, By PATRICIA BRETT July 26, 2010 “……….among the leaked documents, one dated February 2007 — just before the construction of the Flamanville plant was approved — reported that technical studies by EDF had shown that the EPR’s original core design had failed to meet safety criteria for a control rod ejection accident at high power Continue reading

July 27, 2010 Posted by | France, technology | , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

France admits to Tritium health risks from nuclear facilities

Tritium – Government nuclear authority admits tritium health risks could be underestimated, Beyond Nuclear, 24 July 2010,  – The risks of tritium, a radioactive form of hydrogen, could be underestimated because it could bind to DNA, recognizes the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) in a recent white paper. In light of this possibility, the ASN wants new investigation into hereditary effects from tritium exposure, better monitoring and more restriction of tritium releases from nuclear facilities. Reported in Le Monde.

Beyond Nuclear – Tritium – Government nuclear authority admits tritium health risks could be underestimated

July 24, 2010 Posted by | France, health | , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

AREVA’s Olkiluoto nuclear reactor a total financial disater

“It’s a total disaster for Areva,” Schneider says. Areva will have to sell another 12 reactors to cover the cost overruns thus far or else French taxpayers will,”

Nuclear Energy Steals Billions from Other Technologies « Stephen Leahy, International Environmental Journalist, w2w0 July 2010, “…..The other reason is the French.France gets about 77 percent of its power from 58 reactors and is often cited as the model for other countries. “France is a special case. The entire industry is 85 percent owned by the government,” says Mycle Schneider, a Paris-based energy and nuclear policy analyst.

The industry gets direct and indirect subsidies, government loans and loan guarantees “on practically anything they want”, Schneider told IPS. Continue reading

July 20, 2010 Posted by | business and costs, France | , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

AREVA keen to sell untested ATMEA 1 nuclear reactor to Jordan

Breuzژ also highlighted the nuclear technology being offered by AREVA ….The 1,000-1,150MW model reactor, ….has yet to be built or brought online anywhere in the world.

France stands by Jordan’s nuclear programme’ | Jordan Times, By Taylor Luck, 13 July 2010, AMMAN – France supports Jordan’s right to enrich uranium as outlined in the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the top French diplomat in Amman said on Tuesday. Continue reading

July 14, 2010 Posted by | Jordan, politics international | , , , , , , | 1 Comment

USA taxpayer liable for costs of French owned new reactor

Paris-based Areva would provide the reactor technology. Electricite de France and Areva are 85 percent owned by the French government…..To build the plant with the loan guarantee in today’s power market would be an assurance the taxpayers would get stuck with part of the loan obligation,”

(USA) Maryland nuclear reactor raises foreign ownership concerns, Washington Examiner, By: Hayley PetersonExaminer StaffJuly 12, 2010 “……….. the project at Calvert Cliffs faces many hurdles.

Nuclear energy opponents are challenging the reactor’s licensing qualifications with charges that the amount of foreign ownership violates the Atomic Energy Act — which bars nuclear projects with “foreign ownership, control or domination.” Continue reading

July 13, 2010 Posted by | business and costs, USA | , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

AREVA’s financial problems with new nuclear reactors

Finnish delays headache for French nuclear firm PARIS (AFP)  28 June 2010, – Standard & Poor’s said on Monday it had lowered its rating on French nuclear group Areva by two notches because of delays to the construction of a reactor in Finland.The agency downgraded Areva to BBB+/A-2 from A/A-1, citing the company’s announcement of an additional provision of 400 million euros (493 million dollars) for the Finnish European Pressurised Reactor project…… Continue reading

July 10, 2010 Posted by | business and costs, France | , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

AREVA’s untested nuclear reactors not likely to go ahead in Canada

.…they do not believe the Areva-New Brunswick project will see the light of day.New Brunswick is too small for such an expensive nuclear reactor and does not need the power to meet its own power usage, they argued. “The designs Areva is proposing are untested prototypes so I doubt the private sector would ever assume the risks,”….(CAnada) N.B. overhaul attracts skeptics, Nicolas Van Praet, Financial Post ·  , Jul. 8, 2010 Paris-based Areva SA, the world’s biggest builder of nuclear reactors, said it will study the feasibility of building a second nuclear generating station in New Brunswick and of creating a new “clean energy” park on the same site. Continue reading

July 10, 2010 Posted by | business and costs, Canada | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Magnificent Nuclear Deception by France’s AREVA corporation

Christina Macpherson's websites & blogs

Are Americans and Canadians really that stupid?  Are they going to fall for AREVA’s deceptive sales strategy?   The sales pitch is that nuclear power is clean, green and economic. All grand lies.

I suppose that France’s AREVA had to think up such a confidence trick – faced with the ruthless success of South Korea’s KEPCO in selling its wares to the Arabs, and USA’s Westinghouse pitching nuclear to India.

So – AREVA came up with the con trick of  the “Clean Energy Park”  – combining nuclear reactors with renewable energy generation.  Not only does this pretend that nuclear energy is clean, – it also carries  a threat –  no nuclear, no renewable energy.  What a toxic marriage!

Still judging from the actions of the USA government in funding AREVA’s uranium enrichment – Americans and perhaps Canadians, too, ARE that stupid.

July 9, 2010 Posted by | Christina's notes | , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

USA govt $2 billion funding to France’s nuclear company AREVA

Areva accepts $2 bil US loan guarantee for uranium enrichment plant, Washington (Platts)–8Jul2010/ Areva Wednesday said it accepted the US Department of Energy’s offer of a $2 billion loan guarantee to help finance construction of the Eagle Rock uranium enrichment plant in Bonneville County, Idaho, which Areva estimates will cost $3 billion to build. The DOE offer to Areva is the first of two loan guarantees DOE is expected to extend to front-end nuclear facilities, with USEC the expected recipient of the second. Platts: RSS Feed Detailed News

July 9, 2010 Posted by | politics, USA | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

AREVA’s “renewable energy” a front for nuclear reactor sales

renewable generation..…….“window dressing” to the nuclear reactor.”Their (Areva’s) core business is nuclear and it is going to remain nuclear going forward,”

Areva has big plans in U.S. New Brunswick Business Journal,  Christine Dobby 8 July 2010, Last June, French nuclear company Areva announced plans to take part in an alliance to pursue the development of America’s first clean energy park – including a nuclear reactor – in Piketon, Ohio. Continue reading

July 9, 2010 Posted by | spinbuster, USA | , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

AREVA’s “clean energy” strategy to sell its nuclear reactors

Areva finds a third site to combine nuclear and renewable electric power, POWER-GEN , 8 July 2010 — Areva, the province of New Brunswick and New Brunswick Power signed a letter of intent to develop a “clean energy park” near the Point Lepreau nuclear station in Canada. The project represents the third such project that would be developed by Areva. The site would feature a mid-sized generation III+ nuclear plant and renewable energy sources all built by Areva. Power would be used in the province and exported to the Canadian Maritime region and to New England. Areva said the agreement further validates the clean energy park concept to build new CO2-free energy facilities. AREVA is working on similar developments near Piketon, Ohio with Duke Energy and Fresno, Calif. with FNEG.

July 9, 2010 Posted by | Canada, spinbuster | , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment