AREVA announced today that Shaw AREVA MOX
Services, LLC and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have signed an agreement
implementing construction of the Mixed Oxide (MOX) Fuel Fabrication Facility at the Savannah
River Site, located in Aiken, South Carolina. Through this agreement, valued at nearly $2.7
billion, the DOE is exercising the construction option that was included in the MOX Fuel
Fabrication Facility contract signed in 1999. The agreement’s scope includes the actual
construction of the main MOX facility and all support facilities; cold start-up of the MOX plant;
and continued support of Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing activities associated with
the project.
The facility will remove impurities from surplus weapon-grade plutonium and mix it with
uranium oxide to form MOX fuel pellets for reactor fuel assemblies. The assemblies will then
be used in commercial nuclear power reactors. The design of the 600,000-square-foot facility
is based on AREVA’s La Hague and Melox fuel treatment facilities in France.
Construction activities began on August 1, 2007, and continue to proceed on schedule.
The MOX facility will be licensed for 20 years.
Michael A. McMurphy, president and CEO of AREVA NC Inc., said, “We are proud to
sign this agreement with the Department of Energy for the MOX facility, which will be the
keystone of one of the most important nonproliferation programs currently underway in the
world. Through this program, the Shaw-AREVA team is helping the United States achieve the
disposition of 34 metric tons of surplus weapon-grade plutonium by converting it into fuel that
will be used to generate electricity.”
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As the leading U.S. nuclear vendor and a key player in the electricity transmission and
distribution sector, AREVA Inc.’s 5,300 U.S. energy employees are committed to serving the
nation and paving the way for the future of the electricity market. With 45 locations across the
nation and nearly $2 billion in energy revenues in 2007, AREVA Inc., through its subsidiaries,
combines U.S. leadership, access to worldwide expertise and a proven track record of
performance. In the U.S. and in more than 100 countries around the world, AREVA is engaged
in the 21st century’s greatest challenges: making energy available to all, protecting the planet,
and acting responsibly toward future generations. AREVA Inc. is headquartered in Bethesda,
Maryland.
www.us.areva.com
Press Contact
Jarret Adams
Tel.: (301) 841-1695
Cell: (301) 221-5055 |
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Laurence Pernot
Tel.: (301) 841-1694
Cell: (202) 294-8939 |
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