March, 2011

It’s possible, and soon will be probable as AREVA and the Fresno Nuclear Energy Group (FNEG) develop the state’s first Clean Energy Park in Fresno, California. In today’s announcement, AREVA signed a contract with FNEG to conduct feasibility assessments and initiate the first phase of the Fresno...

As news and information continues to evolve about Fukushima, we will continue to provide clear explanations and descriptions to help you understand and share facts about the situation. In regards to news about plutonium detected at the power plant site, the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) gathered and...

On this anniversary of Three Mile Island, we see again short-sighted attempts to misapply reasonable discussion on the value and potential of nuclear power. We cannot blithely peer at the world around us through yesterday’s assumptions and expect to correctly understand today’s energy needs or...

As part of the conversation on the ongoing situation in Japan, there have been some questions about MOX (Mixed Oxied) fuel. A brief released yesterday from the American Nuclear Society (ANS) specifically concludes that: “Mixed Oxide (MOX) fuel has been used safely in nuclear power reactors for...

There is a must read article at the WSJ that describes the “band of brothers” alliance that nuclear energy workers have with their counterparts in Fukushima. The article focuses in on some of the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant workers in Maryland: There are 60,000 employees at 104 nuclear...

Great article by Gwyneth Cravens at Bloomberg Businessweek, starting to address the true lessons to learn from Fukushima: The technical community will review the Japanese nuclear crisis and recommend improvements. Although the reactors properly shut down with the first jolt, the cascade of difficulties...

Robert W. Gee, President, Gee Strategies Group With the world’s eyes on the unfolding crisis at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex, questions about the use of nuclear energy here in the United States are swirling. Even as these questions are perfectly reasonable and worthy of discussion, it is also...

We’ve continued to be impressed with the nuclear blogger community helping add clarity, and fact-bases assessments of the Fukushima crisis and to the issue of nuclear safety overall. A great example is the research done by Next Big Future, on the fatality rate of various energy sources per the...

On NPR today Dr. Robert DuPont, a psychiatrist at Georgetown media school specializing in the study and treatment of fear, discussed with Renee Montagne about why perceptions of nuclear power are so different compared to other sources of power. Describing why the tendency for reaction in the United States...

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Still trying to understand what a sievert is and what it means in terms of radiation dosage? Take a look at the reference Radiation Dosage Chart put together by the folks over at xkcd Blog. BTW, 1 sievert = 100 rems, the U.S. measurement Please click on the image to increase the size. ...read more

CNN’s Fareed Zakaria provided his earnest commentary on why we should “Hold judgment on nuclear power,” saying: We need all the sources of energy we can find. No one source is going to satisfy the world’s energy needs. Everyone has some costs and some benefits. Nuclear energy can be scaled and...

A well-written profile of Anne Lauvergeon, AREVA’s first and only CEO, appeared in March 19 edition of the New York Times. The piece, written by veteran journalist Steven Erlanger, focuses on the challenges Ms. Lauvergeon faces, including questions regarding the renewal of her mandate, the situation...

Appearing on the State of the Union on CNN and Fox News Sunday, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu gave his thoughts on the current status of the situation in Japan saying on Fox: “I think each passing hour, each passing day seems to be more under control and so they are making good progress.” He [...] ...

A feature article in the Lynchburg (Va.) News & Advance focuses on the important role the nuclear industry plays in the region’s economy. Lynchburg hosts some 4,600 jobs related to the nuclear energy industry, including 2,000 at AREVA operations there. While much remains to be seen with regard...

Today, a piece from the Richland Herald shares how AREVA is sending support to Japan: AREVA in Richland sent its third shipment of radiation-protection supplies to Japan Friday. Masks, coveralls, gloves, shoe coverings and filter cartridges for respirators were sent at the request of Tokyo Electric Power...

From an op-ed today in the Lynchburg News & Advance: it’s been a quarter of a century since the Soviet Union’s reactor at Chernobyl experienced a meltdown. And was on March 28, 1979, that the Three Mile Island disaster occurred in Pennsylvania. Those two incidents, coupled with the ongoing emergency...

AREVA’s Nuclear Measurements Business Unit (CANBERRA) quickly responded this week to the need in Japan by shipping a supply of crucial emergency support radiation measurement equipment. The wide range of detection equipment helps emergency personnel efficiently and effectively conduct radiation measurements...

Here is a good article in the Atlantic on DC’s reaction so far to the Japanese crisis and the larger issues around nuclear power support. They begin with the current state of things in the capitol: When something big happens, Washington tends to react impulsively. Whether or not it’s helpful...

In case you missed seeing AREVA’s insights on the situation in Japan and the U.S. nuclear industry, watch these two newscasts with AREVA North America CEO Jacques Besnainou and COO Mike Rencheck. AREVA’s Besnainou Interview on Japan Reactors (FoxNews) Nuclear Power Plants Operate Safely Says...

We have been very impressed with the blogging community’s professionalism and up-to-the-minute reporting and commenting on the news from Japan. To tap this resource, use this Twitter Widget of 14 bloggers we’re following. new TWTR.Widget({ version: 2, type: 'list', rpp: 32, interval...

by Brent Wilkes, Executive Director, LULAC LULAC is united in concern and sadness following the tsunami and earthquakes that recently struck Japan. As the situation unfolds, we commend the men and women who are currently working to provide support for damaged Japanese communities. As the United States...

Paris, March 16, 2011 Following the earthquake and tsunami that struck northern Japan, AREVA is mobilizing its forces to provide support to residents of the affected area and to the rescue workers and personnel working near the Fukushima nuclear plant. AREVA has chartered a plane that will depart for...

From the NY Times on what is being called the “Fukushima 50.” Simply put: they are heroes. A small crew of technicians, braving radiation and fire, became the only people remaining at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station on Tuesday….They crawl through labyrinths of equipment...

Over on NPR there is some rational thinking from Foreign Policy with one clear message: “The case for nuclear power remains strong.” In a piece from James M. Acton, associate in Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment of International Peace, he discusses why nuclear energy is still a safe, rational...