Areva S.A. is a French
multinational group specializing in
nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced ...
headquartered in Courbevoie, France. Before its 2016 corporate restructuring, Areva was majority-owned by the French state through the
French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission
The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission or CEA ( French: Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives), is a French public government-funded research organisation in the areas of energy, defense and securit ...
(54.37%),
Banque publique d'investissement (3.32%), and
Agence des participations de l'État
''Agence des participations de l'État'' (APE, literally "State Participations Agency"), created in 2004 under the government of Jean-Pierre Raffarin, is the French agency responsible for managing the State's shareholdings in companies of strate ...
(28.83%).
Électricité de France, of which the French government has a majority ownership stake, owned 2.24%;
Kuwait Investment Authority
The Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) is Kuwait's sovereign wealth fund, managing the state’s reserve and the state’s future generation fund (FGF).
Founded in 1953, the KIA is the world's oldest sovereign wealth fund. As of April 2022, it ...
owned 4.82% as the second largest shareholder after the French state.
As a part of the restructuring program following its insolvency, Areva sold out or discontinued its renewable energy businesses, sold its reactors business subsidiary
Areva NP
Framatome () is a French nuclear reactor business. It is owned by Électricité de France (EDF) (75.5%), Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (19.5%), and Assystem (5%).
The company first formed in 1958 to license Westinghouse's pressurized water react ...
(now:
Framatome
Framatome () is a French nuclear reactor business. It is owned by Électricité de France (EDF) (75.5%), Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (19.5%), and Assystem (5%).
The company first formed in 1958 to license Westinghouse's pressurized water react ...
) to
EDF EDF may refer to:
Organisations
* Eclaireurs de France, a French Scouting association
* Education for Development Foundation, a Thai charity
* Électricité de France, a French energy company
** EDF Energy, their British subsidiary
** EDF Luminus, ...
and its
nuclear propulsion
Nuclear propulsion includes a wide variety of propulsion methods that use some form of nuclear reaction as their primary power source. The idea of using nuclear material for propulsion dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. In 1903 it was ...
and research reactors subsidiary Areva TA (now: Technicatome) to Agence des participations de l'État, and separated its nuclear cycle business into a separate company New Areva (later:
Orano
Orano SA is a multinational nuclear fuel cycle company headquartered in Châtillon, Hauts-de-Seine, France. The company is engaged in uranium mining, conversion-enrichment, spent fuel recycling, nuclear logistics, dismantling, and nuclear cy ...
). As a result, Areva S.A. became wholly state-owned by the French government, remaining responsible only for the liabilities related to the
Olkiluoto 3
The Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant ( fi, Olkiluodon ydinvoimalaitos, sv, Olkiluoto kärnkraftverk) is one of Finland's two nuclear power plants, the other being the two-unit VVER Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant. The plant is owned and operated by ...
project in
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
and holding a 40% stake in Orano.
History
Creation
![Siege Areva 33 rue Lafayette P1050953](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/Siege_Areva_33_rue_Lafayette_P1050953.JPG)
Areva was created on 3 April 2001 by the
merger of Framatome (later: Areva NP, now: Framatome),
Cogema
Orano Cycle, formerly COGEMA (''Compagnie générale des matières nucléaires'') and Areva NC, is a French nuclear company. It is the main subsidiary of Orano S.A. It is an industrial group active in all stages of the uranium fuel cycle, inclu ...
(later: Areva NC, now:
Orano Cycle
Orano Cycle, formerly COGEMA (''Compagnie générale des matières nucléaires'') and Areva NC, is a French nuclear company. It is the main subsidiary of Orano S.A. It is an industrial group active in all stages of the uranium fuel cycle, inclu ...
) and Technicatome (later: Areva TA, now: Technicatome). It was based on the structure of its precursor, CEA-Industrie.
Anne Lauvergeon
Anne Lauvergeon (born 2 August 1959) is a French businesswoman who served as CEO of Areva from 2001 until 2011. According to ''The Wall Street Journal'', she is known internationally as one of the most prominent defenders of nuclear power.
Ear ...
became its first CEO.
Jean-Pierre Raffarin
Jean-Pierre Raffarin (; born 3 August 1948) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 6 May 2002 to 31 May 2005.
He resigned after France's rejection of the referendum on the European Union draft constitution. Howeve ...
, the former
Prime Minister of France, announced the privatization of Areva in 2003, but it was postponed several times, the French government opting finally for the privatization of GDF and EDF. At the end of October 2005, French Prime Minister
Dominique de Villepin
Dominique Marie François René Galouzeau de Villepin (; born 14 November 1953) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 31 May 2005 to 17 May 2007 under President Jacques Chirac.
In his career working at the Ministry ...
announced that he had suspended the privatization process.
In 2003, Areva secured a contract for the
Olkiluoto 3
The Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant ( fi, Olkiluodon ydinvoimalaitos, sv, Olkiluoto kärnkraftverk) is one of Finland's two nuclear power plants, the other being the two-unit VVER Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant. The plant is owned and operated by ...
project, which foresaw construction of the
third generation Third generation may refer to:
* ''Third Generation'' (album), a 1982 album by Hiroshima
* ''The Third Generation'' (1920 film), an American drama film directed by Henry Kolker
* ''The Third Generation'' (1979 film), a West German black comedy b ...
EPR-type
pressurised water reactor
A pressurized water reactor (PWR) is a type of light-water nuclear reactor. PWRs constitute the large majority of the world's nuclear power plants (with notable exceptions being the UK, Japan and Canada). In a PWR, the primary coolant (water) is ...
. In 2004 a contracted fixed price was established as €3.2 billion.
Construction started in 2005.
In 2004, Areva acquired
Alstom's transmission and distribution activities, which became Areva T&D. It was sold back to Alstom and
Schneider Electric
Schneider Electric SE is a French multinational company that specializes in digital automation and energy management. It addresses homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure and industries, by combining energy technologies, real-time automatio ...
in June 2010.
On 15 September 2005, Areva and
Constellation Energy
Constellation Energy Corporation () is an energy company headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The company provides electric power, natural gas, and energy management services. It has approximately two million customers across th ...
of Baltimore announced a
joint venture
A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and economic risk, risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four rea ...
called UniStar Nuclear to market the commercial EPR in the United States. The joint venture later became
UniStar Nuclear Energy in 2007. In 2010, EDF acquired 100% of UniStar Nuclear Energy. However these plans failed to come to fruition, and in February 2015 Areva suspended the EPR Design Certification Application Review process at the U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
In 2006, Areva created its renewable energies business group.
Creusot Forge and Creusot Mécanique merged into the Areva group,
even though there were quality concerns over Creusot Forge's work.
In 2007, Areva purchased 51% of offshore
wind turbine
A wind turbine is a device that converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. Hundreds of thousands of large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, now generate over 650 gigawatts of power, with 60 GW added each yea ...
manufacturer Multibrid.
Multibrid has been a start-up and German offshore wind pioneer, producing wind turbines in Bremerhaven. The innovative M5000 wind turbine has a compact medium speed drive train and carbon rotor blades. The patented air treatment to prevent corrosion was unique. The turbine design been made by
aerodyn Energiesysteme GmbH.
In 2015 the renewable unit of Areva changed into ADWEN GmbH.
In June 2010, Areva purchased the remaining 49% and formed
Areva Wind. In February 2010, Areva bought Ausra, and renamed it
Areva Solar.
In 2007, Areva purchased UraMin, which later became Areva Resources Southern Africa (now part of Orano).
In 2007, Areva started construction of the
Flamanville 3
The Flamanville Nuclear Power Plant is located at Flamanville, Manche, France on the Cotentin Peninsula. The power plant houses two pressurized water reactors (PWRs) that produce 1.3 GWe each and came into service in 1986 and 1987, respective ...
EPR reactor. In addition, in November 2007 Areva agreed to an €8 billion deal with the
China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group
China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) (), formerly China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group (), is a Chinese state-owned energy corporation under the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, SASAC of the State Council of the Peo ...
to supply them with two EPRs for
Taishan Nuclear Power Plant
The Taishan Nuclear Power Plant () is a nuclear power plant in Taishan, Guangdong province, China.
The plant features two operational EPR reactors.
The first unit, Taishan 1, entered commercial service in December 2018, but was shut down from ...
. Under the terms of the agreement, Areva also had to help operate the plant, including the reprocessing of spent fuel.
[John Tagliabue, '']The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', 27 November 200
"China Deal Gives Lift to Revival of Fission"
Also in 2007, Areva and
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
is a Japanese multinational engineering, electrical equipment and electronics corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. MHI is one of the core companies of the Mitsubishi Group and its automobile division is the predecessor of Mitsubishi Mo ...
created a joint venture named
Atmea
Atmea was a joint venture between Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and EDF Group set up in 2006 to develop, market, license and sell the ATMEA1 reactor, a new generation III+, medium-power pressurized water reactor (PWR). The company was headqua ...
to develop a 1,100 MWe Atmea-1 pressurised water reactor (
Generation III reactor).
[
] In 2009,
Siemens sold its remaining shares of Areva NP and Arvea NP became wholly owned by Areva.
[ At the same year, Areva NP acquired 30% stake in the Mitsubishi Nuclear Fuel company.][
On 6 May 2008, Areva announced that it would seek all necessary approval to build an enrichment facility in Bonneville County, ]Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...
. The project was later cancelled. Also in 2008, Areva was awarded an operations contract to clean up the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing site as part of the Nuclear Management Partners consortium, made up of URS, Amec and Areva.
In June 2008, Areva reached an agreement with Kazatomprom to create a joint-venture Katco.
On 4 February 2009, Areva signed a memorandum to supply two to six nuclear reactors to the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited
The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) is an Indian public sector undertaking based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is wholly owned by the Government of India and is responsible for the generation of electricity from nuclear power. N ...
for the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project
Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project is a proposed nuclear power plant in India.
If built, it would be the largest nuclear power generating station in the world by net generation capacity, at 9,900 MW.
The power project is proposed by Nuclea ...
in the Indian state of Maharashtra.
In March 2010, Areva indicated work was being done on a new type of burner reactor
A breeder reactor is a nuclear reactor that generates more fissile material than it fissile#Fissile vs fissionable, consumes. Breeder reactors achieve this because their neutron economy is high enough to create more fissile fuel than they use, by ...
type capable of breaking down actinides
The actinide () or actinoid () series encompasses the 15 metallic chemical elements with atomic numbers from 89 to 103, actinium through lawrencium. The actinide series derives its name from the first element in the series, actinium. The inform ...
created as a product of nuclear fission.
In 2011, Areva was listed at the Euronext
Euronext N.V. (short for European New Exchange Technology) is a pan-European bourse that offers various trading and post-trade services.
Traded assets include regulated equities, exchange-traded funds (ETF), warrants and certificates, bonds, ...
stock exchange in Paris.
Post-Fukushima problems
In December 2011, Areva suspended building work at several sites in France, Africa and the United States, one day after forecasting a €1.6 billion ($2.1 billion) loss.
Areva halted "capacity extensions" at its La Hague Reprocessing Plant, in northern France, at its Melox factory in the southwest, and at two sites attached to its Tricastin power plant in the south. Work has also stopped on extensions to uranium mines in Bakouma
Bakouma is a sub-prefecture in the prefecture of Mbomou in Central African Republic. The area is known for its prosperity of mineral resources which have for a long time remained unexploited.
History
Bakouma was founded in September 1892 when ...
in the Central African Republic, Trekkopje in Namibia, and Ryst Kuil in South Africa, and caused a potential delay in construction until a capital solution is secured for the Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility in the United States. Areva wrote off most of the $2.5 billion purchase cost of Canadian uranium mining company Uramin, purchased in 2007, after concluding that its uranium ore deposits were of negligible value.
In September 2014 Standard & Poor's stated it might downgrade Areva's credit rating following weak first-half results, leading to Areva indicating it would cut capital spending and dispose of some assets. In March 2015 Standard & Poor's further downgraded Areva's credit rating to BB- after Areva posted a €4.8 billion loss for 2014.
In 2012, Areva acquired a hydrogen technology developer ''Compagnie européenne des technologies de l'hydrogène'' (CETH) and renamed it Areva H2Gen. At the same year, it inaugurated a hydrogen storage system called the MYRTE platform near Ajaccio, Corsica (MYRTE is the French acronym for ''Mission Hydrogène Renouvelable pour l’intégration au réseau électrique''). The system aims to establish the feasibility of a storage solution for solar energy using hydrogen technologies, which would serve as a back-up system to stabilize Corsica's power grid.[ In 2014, Areva's energy storage and management system, the Greenergy Box, was added to the existing installation, in operation since early 2013. In January 2014, Areva and Spain's wind turbine manufacturer ]Gamesa Corporación Tecnológica
Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy S.A., formerly Gamesa Corporación Tecnológica S.A. () and Grupo Auxiliar Metalúrgico S.A., is a Spanish-German wind engineering company based in Zamudio, Biscay, Spain. In Spain, the company has two other main ...
created on the bases of Areva Wind a joint venture Adwen
Adwen or Adwenna was a 5th-century Christian virgin and saint.Baring-Gould, Sabine & al''The Lives of the British Saints: The Saints of Wales and Cornwall and Such Irish Saints as Have Dedications in Britain'', Vol. II, pp. 107& ...
. In August 2014, Areva exited the solar industry.
In October 2013, Areva won a $2.7 billion contract to supply two EPR nuclear reactors with nuclear steam supply and control systems at the Hinkley Point C
Hinkley Point C nuclear power station (HPC) is a two-unit, 3,200 MWe EPR nuclear power station under construction in Somerset, England.
The site was one of eight announced by the British government in 2010, and in November 2012 a nuclear site ...
plant in Somerset
( en, All The People of Somerset)
, locator_map =
, coordinates =
, region = South West England
, established_date = Ancient
, established_by =
, preceded_by =
, origin =
, lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset
, lord_ ...
, England. It will also provide uranium extraction and enrichment for the fuel fabrication stage.
In December 2013, Areva and China General Nuclear Power (CGN) agreed to a partnership in renewable energy, with a focus on offshore wind, biomass, concentrated solar power, and energy storage.
In October 2014, CEO Luc Oursel took a leave of absence for health reasons.[ He died in December of the same year. On 20 November 2014 Standard & Poor's downgraded Areva long-term debt to BB+ and short-term-debt to A-3.]
In May 2014, Areva through its subsidiary CETH2, and the ADEME (French Environment and Energy Management Agency), announced the creation of the AREVA H2-Gen joint venture.
In December 2015 operations at Le Creusot Forge were stopped following a discovery at the Flamanville Nuclear Power Plant
The Flamanville Nuclear Power Plant is located at Flamanville, Manche, France on the Cotentin Peninsula. The power plant houses two pressurized water reactors (PWRs) that produce 1.3 GWe each and came into service in 1986 and 1987, respective ...
. About 400 large steel forgings manufactured by Le Creusot Forge since 1965 found to have carbon-content irregularities that weakened the steel. A widespread programme of reactor checks was started involving a progressive programme of reactor shutdowns. This caused power price increases in Europe as France increased electricity imports, especially from Germany, to augment supply. In December 2016 international inspectors found evidence of recent doctored paperwork, which had not been detected by Areva's independent quality control checks. In April 2017 Autorité de sûreté nucléaire
The ''Autorité de sûreté nucléaire'' ( en, Nuclear Safety Authority, ASN) is an independent French administrative authority set up by law 2006-686 of 13 June 2006 concerning nuclear transparency and security. It has replaced the General Direct ...
(ASN) published the requirements for forging to resume at Le Creusot Forge.[ In August 2017 ASN published a draft decision requiring the examination of Le Creusot Forge manufacturing records of all components during scheduled reactor refuelling outages.]
Restructuring
In June 2016 Areva's restructuring plans were made public, including the sale of the majority of its reactor business to EDF in 2017, excluding the Olkiluoto 3 EPR under construction in Finland which will remain with Areva SA. In December 2017, Areva and EDF signed agreements on the transfer of Areva NP's nuclear reactor operations.[
] As part of the restructuring plan, Areva created a new fuel cycle company, dubbed as New Co or New Areva. The new company combined Areva Mines, Areva NC
Orano Cycle, formerly COGEMA (''Compagnie générale des matières nucléaires'') and Areva NC, is a French nuclear company. It is the main subsidiary of Orano S.A. It is an industrial group active in all stages of the uranium fuel cycle, inclu ...
, Areva Projects, and Areva Business Support companies.[ It was created as a wholly owned subsidiary of Areva; however, Areva lost control over the company as the French government invested to recapitalize the company. On 23 January 2018 that company changed its name to Orano.][
][
] In January 2017, Areva sold its stake in the wind turbine manufacturer Adwen.[
] In March 2017, Areva sold its nuclear propulsion and research reactor subsidiary Areva TA to '' Agence des Participations de l'Etat''.[
]
Current operations
, Areva S.A. is responsible only for the liabilities related to the Olkiluoto 3 project. The reactor, which is one of the first of the new Generation III reactors, was initially expected to begin producing electricity in 2009, but the project has delayed at least until 2022, and it has faced several price increases. Areva and TVO have reached an agreement, according to which Areva would pay €450 million in compensation over the delays and lost income. The agreement would settle all legal actions between the two companies.
Areva also holds of 40% stake in Orano.
Past operations
Areva was a company with a presence in each industrial activity linked to nuclear energy: mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic ...
, chemistry, enrichment, fuel assembly, reprocessing, engineering, nuclear propulsion and reactors, treatment, recycling, stabilization and dismantling. Areva also offered technological solutions for renewable energy. Areva's activities were divided into five business groups.
Nuclear operations
The mining business group managed the exploration of uranium ore, its extraction, and processing, as well as the restoration of sites after mine closure. It had staff on five continents and operated uranium production sites in Canada, Kazakhstan, and Niger. As of the end of 2013, the Mining Business Group employed 4,463 people. Uranium production accounted for 19% of Areva's consolidated revenue in 2013. It is now part of Orano.
The front end business group provided access to fuel for Areva's customers, and oversees operations to convert uranium into nuclear fuel, including the chemical conversion of ore into uranium hexafluoride
Uranium hexafluoride (), (sometimes called "hex") is an inorganic compound with the formula UF6. Uranium hexafluoride is a volatile white solid that reacts with water, releasing corrosive hydrofluoric acid. The compound reacts mildly with alumin ...
, the enrichment of uranium, and the design and production of fuel for nuclear reactors. As of the end of 2013, 8,555 people worked for Areva's front end business group. It accounted for 24% of Areva's consolidated revenue in 2013.[ It is now part of Orano.
The reactors and services business group designed and built ]pressurized water reactor
A pressurized water reactor (PWR) is a type of light-water nuclear reactor. PWRs constitute the large majority of the world's nuclear power plants (with notable exceptions being the UK, Japan and Canada). In a PWR, the primary coolant (water) i ...
s and boiling water reactor
A boiling water reactor (BWR) is a type of light water nuclear reactor used for the generation of electrical power. It is a design different from a Soviet graphite-moderated RBMK. It is the second most common type of electricity-generating nu ...
s, and offers products to service nuclear reactors. It is now part of Framatome. The business group also designed and built naval propulsion and research reactors, which is now Technicatome. The business group had 15,592 employees at the end of 2013 and generated 36% of Areva's revenue in the same year.
The back end business group developed recycling solutions for used fuel for reuse in reactors. It also offered storage and transportation solutions for radioactive material, and site rehabilitation at nuclear facilities. It is now part of Orano. At the end of 2013, it had 11,583 employees and made up for 19% of Areva's revenue. In 2017 the NUHOMS Matrix advanced used nuclear fuel storage overpack, a high-density system for storing multiple spent fuel rods in canisters, was launched.
Renewable energy operations
Areva created its global renewable energies business group in 2006 as an expansion of its clean energy
Clean may refer to:
* Cleaning, the process of removing unwanted substances, such as dirt, infectious agents, and other impurities, from an object or environment
* Cleanliness, the state of being clean and free from dirt
Arts and media Music A ...
portfolio with renewable energy.[ This group represented four business lines: concentrated solar power, offshore ]wind power
Wind power or wind energy is mostly the use of wind turbines to generate electricity. Wind power is a popular, sustainable, renewable energy source that has a much smaller impact on the environment than burning fossil fuels. Historically ...
, biomass power, and hydrogen power storage and distribution. Areva built biomass power plants worldwide, representing 2.5 GWe of installed capacity. These plants located in Brazil, Chile, Germany, the Netherlands, India and Thailand.[ Its subsidiary Areva Renewables Brazil built biomass power plants based on bagasse (organic waste from sugar cane). In the United States, Areva formed a partnership with Duke Energy to build and operate 55 MW biomass power plants based on wood waste.
Areva acquired a bio-coal production technology called Thermya, which produces a biofuel issued from biomass torrefaction that can replace coal to generate thermal energy and electricity.] Areva also developed AdCub, a modular concept for compact power plants targeting small-scale biomass resources that addresses relatively untapped growth opportunities in Europe. The objective is to combine innovative solutions which optimize customer costs for small-scale power plants (between 3 and 6 MW) and reduce construction time. This new biomass plant concept also aims to improve upstream technologies for multi-fuel acceptance and higher availability.[
Areva designed, manufactured and industrialized turnkey energy storage solutions and products to generate electricity with fuel cells and produce hydrogen by electrolysis. Areva supported research in the hydrogen field through partnerships with a number of industrial companies and national research organizations including '' Agence Nationale de la Recherche'', the Horizon Hydrogen Energy (H2E) program, PAN-H (''Plan d'Action National sur l'Hydrogène et les piles à combustible'') and Pôle Capenergies, an innovation cluster dedicated to the development of renewable forms of energy without greenhouse gas emissions.
]
Other operations
Areva was involved in military technology
Military technology is the application of technology for use in warfare. It comprises the kinds of technology that are distinctly military in nature and not civilian in application, usually because they lack useful or legal civilian applicatio ...
, such as designing the nuclear reactor for the French Barracuda class submarine. One of Areva's subsidiaries, Euriware (founded in 1991) was specialized in consulting and IT services and employs 2,200 people. Areva also owned 1.99% of Safran and 1.4% of Suez Environnement.
CERCA, a subsidiary of Areva that produces fuel for research reactors, was also involved in TRIGA
TRIGA (Training, Research, Isotopes, General Atomics) is a class of nuclear research reactor designed and manufactured by General Atomics. The design team for TRIGA, which included Edward Teller, was led by the physicist Freeman Dyson.
Design
...
, a research reactor established in 1996 with the US firm General Atomics
General Atomics is an American energy and defense corporation headquartered in San Diego, California, specializing in research and technology development. This includes physics research in support of nuclear fission and nuclear fusion energy. Th ...
that is used for training, research, and the production of radioisotopes.
Areva was a former corporate member of the Bruegel think tank.
Notable incidents
2007 fine
In January 2007, Areva was fined €53 million by the European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...
for rigging EU electricity markets through a cartel
A cartel is a group of independent market participants who collude with each other in order to improve their profits and dominate the market. Cartels are usually associations in the same sphere of business, and thus an alliance of rivals. Mos ...
involving 11 companies, including ABB
ABB Ltd. is a Swedish- Swiss multinational corporation headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland. The company was formed in 1988 when Sweden's Allmänna Svenska Elektriska Aktiebolaget (ASEA) and Switzerland's Brown, Boveri & Cie merged to crea ...
, Alstom, Fuji Fuji may refer to:
Places China
* Fuji, Xiangcheng City (付集镇), town in Xiangcheng City, Henan
Japan
* Mount Fuji, the tallest mountain in Japan
* Fuji River
* Fuji, Saga, town in Saga Prefecture
* Fuji, Shizuoka, city in Shizuoka Prefec ...
, Hitachi Japan
() is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is the parent company of the Hitachi Group (''Hitachi Gurūpu'') and had formed part of the Nissan ''zaibatsu'' and later DKB Group and Fuyo Gr ...
, AE Power Systems, Mitsubishi Electric Corp, Schneider Electric, Siemens, Toshiba
, commonly known as Toshiba and stylized as TOSHIBA, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure systems, ...
and VA Tech ELIN.[EU cracks down on electricity-gear cartel]
, ''EurActiv
Euractiv (styled EURACTIV) is a pan-European news website specialised in EU policies, founded in 1999 by the French media publisher Christophe Leclercq. Its headquarters and central editorial staff are located in Brussels,with further offices in ...
'', 25 January 2007 . According to the commission, "between 1988 and 2004, the companies rigged bids for procurement contracts, fixed prices, allocated projects to each other, shared markets and exchanged commercially important and confidential information."[
Areva is not accused of any cartel involvement other than through the acquisition of an Alstom unit in January 2004. "This subsidiary was acquired by the Areva group towards the end of the infringement, in January 2004. The parent entities of the Areva group share a joint liability with that subsidiary for the period after its acquisition." "A few months before the cartel ended, Alstom sold the unit involved to Areva, which knew nothing of the cartel. It ]reva
Reva may refer to:
Places
* Reva, Belgrade, urban neighborhood of Belgrade, Serbia
* Reva, Mozambique, village in Ancuabe District in Cabo Delgado Province in northeastern Mozambique
* Reva, Trebnje, small settlement just south of Dobrnič in the ...
and Alstom have joint liability for 53.6 million, which they must decide how to split."
EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes declared that "The commission has put an end to a cartel which has cheated public utility companies and consumers for more than 16 years".
Libya deal
On 13 August 2007, the French newspaper '' Le Parisien'' alleged that the Franco-Libyan civil nuclear power agreement signed by President Nicolas Sarkozy did not concern desalinization of sea water, as claimed by the French government, but instead focused in particular on selling the EPR to Libya, a contract potentially worth $3 billion.[Marc Lomazzi, ''Le Parisien'', 13 August 200]
"Nucléaire: les dessous de l'accord entre la France et la Libye"
. ''Le Parisien'' cited Philippe Delaune, deputy to the deputy director of international affairs for the CEA atomic agency, which is the main share-holder in Areva. Following allegations that the deal had been related to the release of the Bulgarian nurses, the French Socialist Party, through the spokesperson Jean-Louis Bianco
Jean-Louis Bianco (born 12 January 1943) is a French politician and civil servant who served as Minister of Social Affairs and Integration from 1991 to 1992 and Minister of Equipment, Transport and Housing from 1992 to 1993 under President Fra ...
, declared that this deal was "geopolitically irresponsible". The German government
The Federal Cabinet or Federal Government (german: link=no, Bundeskabinett or ') is the chief executive body of the Federal Republic of Germany. It consists of the Federal Chancellor and cabinet ministers. The fundamentals of the cabinet's or ...
also denounced the agreement.
Bakouma assault
On 24 June 2012, an armed group assaulted a uranium plant operated by Areva at Bakouma
Bakouma is a sub-prefecture in the prefecture of Mbomou in Central African Republic. The area is known for its prosperity of mineral resources which have for a long time remained unexploited.
History
Bakouma was founded in September 1892 when ...
in the southeast of the Central African Republic
The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of th ...
. A statement by the military described that "a violent clash on Sunday afternoon pitted" Central African troops against "an unidentified group of armed men attempting to launch an assault on the site of mining company Areva".
According to the report the army successfully repelled the attack, but "the enemy did some material damage and pulled back while taking a sizeable quantity mainly of food with them." The Areva group issued no immediate statement regarding the attack. Central African military sources believe that the attack was organized by members of the Chadian rebel group Popular Front for Recovery (FPR) led by 'General' Baba Ladde, which has been active in the region since 2008. The army says it is conducting further operations to neutralize the remaining armed rebels in the region of Bakouma.
Attack in Niger
In May 2013, the company's uranium mine in Niger was damaged and one civilian was killed in an Al-Qaeda-linked suicide bomb attack. The mine reached full production again in August 2013.
Tuareg people
In November 2009, Greenpeace released a report indicating that two villages near Areva's mining operations in Niger had dangerously high levels of radiation.
In January 2014, Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...
produced '' Orphans of the Sahara'', three-part series on the Tuareg people
The Tuareg people (; also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym: ''Imuhaɣ/Imušaɣ/Imašeɣăn/Imajeɣăn'') are a large Berber ethnic group that principally inhabit the Sahara in a vast area stretching from far southwestern Libya to southern Alg ...
of the Sahara desert, in which claims were brought to light that Areva mining and consequent irradiations are causing diseases and deaths among their people.
Al Jazeera also published Areva's response, in which the company said it submits regular reports on its environmental monitoring of water, air and soil to the Nigerien Office of Environmental Assessments and Impact Studies (BEEEI) which indicate that there is no pollution around the sites in question.
Corporate issues
Name etymology
The name Areva was derived from the name of the Cistercian Abbey of Arévalo
Arévalo is a municipality in Spain, it is situated in the province of Ávila and is part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. The name came from the Celtic word ''arevalon'', meaning "place near the wall."
Regional importance
The ...
.
Sport sponsorship
Areva sponsored several sporting events over the years. In 2009, Areva launched Athlenergy.com, an online resource for runners, and became the sponsor of the French Athletics Federation and the official sponsor of Meeting Areva
Meeting de Paris (formerly known as the Meeting Areva and Meeting Gaz de France) is an annual track and field meeting at the Stade Sébastien Charléty in Paris, France. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the Diamon ...
, a track and field competition held annually at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France. In May 2014, Athlenergy.com becam
Arevarun
Areva also sponsors several running events, including the Paris Half Marathon and Saintélyon, a night run from Sainte Etienne to Lyon, in France.
In 2008, Areva signed a contract to sponsor the German football club FC Nürnberg until 2012. The contract was completed in 2012.
Areva sponsored the French "Defi Areva" team in the 2002 America's Cup race, and the French "Areva Challenge" team in the 2007 America's Cup race. In 2002, during its first public appearance, in Lorient, France, the "Defi Areva" yacht collided with a dinghy carrying four Greenpeace protesters, and the impact knocked a hole in the side of the 80-foot boat.
See also
* Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant
The Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant (CCNPP) is a nuclear power plant located on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay near Lusby, Calvert County, Maryland in the Mid-Atlantic United States. It is the only nuclear power plant in the state ...
* European Atomic Energy Community
The European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom) is an international organisation established by the Euratom Treaty on 25 March 1957 with the original purpose of creating a specialist market for nuclear power in Europe, by developing nucl ...
* Groupe INTRA Groupe INTRA is a French emergency response organization created by the French CEA, and the French nuclear companies Areva and EDF. It maintains a number of emergency intervention teams equipped with high-power radiation-hardened teleoperated mo ...
* Kazatomprom
* Nine Mile Point Nuclear Generating Station
Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station is a nuclear power plant with two nuclear reactors located in the town of Scriba, approximately five miles northeast of Oswego, New York, on the shore of Lake Ontario. The site is also occupied by the James A. F ...
* Nuclear Power 2010 Program
* World Nuclear Industry Status Report
''The World Nuclear Industry Status Report'' is a yearly report on the nuclear power industry. It is produced by Mycle Schneider, an anti-nuclear activist and a founding member of WISE-Paris, which he directed from 1983 to 2003.
2019 Report
The ...
References
External links
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