AREVA and Northrop Grumman to build heavy EPR parts in the U.S.

French nuclear engineering firm AREVA and global defense and technology company Northrop Grumman Corp. plan to jointly build a new facility in Newport News, Va., to engineer and manufacture heavy components for AREVA’s U.S. Evolutionary Power Reactor (EPR). The companies expect that the new facility will boost the U.S. nuclear resurgence.

The companies said Thursday they would invest about $360 million to build the 300,000-square-foot facility. When completed in 2011, it is expected to be the first full-scale manufacturing facility dedicated to supplying heavy components, such as reactor vessels, steam generators, and pressurizers to the U.S. nuclear energy industry.

Though demand for heavy nuclear components has risen, industry experts agree that their limited production presents a constraint for nuclear energy’s expansion in the U.S.
The new facility is powerful evidence of the reality of the U.S. nuclear energy resurgence and AREVA’s commitment to it, said CEO Anne Lauvergeon.

AREVA’s proprietary EPR design has been chosen by seven of the 26 reactors proposed in the U.S. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is currently reviewing license applications for these reactors.

Lauvergeon said that AREVA—one of three major nuclear plant manufacturers—is looking to build one-third of all new reactors around the world, including the seven proposed for the U.S.

AREVA has been manufacturing heavy components for the global commercial nuclear industry for more than 30 years at its Chalon/St. Marcel plant in France. AREVA is already working with Lehigh Heavy Forge in Bethlehem, Pa., to produce forgings for the U.S. EPR.

AREVA’s partner, Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, will provide its heavy industrial engineering and manufacturing expertise required to build U.S. Navy nuclear ships to the venture, the companies said. Along with its skilled workforce, Northrop Grumman has existing transportation access via the James River to deliver heavy components.

“Our shipbuilders embrace the opportunity to apply their considerable skills and training to a growing U.S. energy sector, backed by the pro-growth environment of the Commonwealth of Virginia, employing the same dedication and commitment to domestic energy security that has been applied to national security," said Mike Petters, vice president and president of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding.

Sources: AREVA, Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding