France

The massive project to build six EPR reactors at the Jaitapur site in Maharashtra, India, received a significant boost in late June as GE and French utility EDF signed a strategic cooperation agreement that

Framatome reached a major milestone in its review of Le Creusot Forge’s manufacturing records, finishing the task of identifying and characterizing deviations in all of the records for forgings installed on nuclear reactors in France. A total of 1,925 records were analyzed. At this stage of the process, no serviceability issues have been identified in […]

Renewable Projects Planned in Australia. CWP Renewables, a company based in Newcastle, New South Wales (NSW), Australia, on May 28 said it received a $700 million investment from Partners Group, a

India’s government-owned National Nuclear Power Corp. (NPCIL) in March signed cooperation agreements for equipment and construction related to the massive 9,900-MW Jaitapur project in Maharashtra, the

March 15, 2018 — Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) has secured orders for the supply of 39 onshore wind turbines in France, with aggregate capacity of 104 MW, at five wind farms being developed in the regions of Hauts de France, Grand Est, Burgundy and in Western France. Siemens Gamesa has been selected to supply, […]

On January 25, 2018, Framatome received the green light from the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) and EDF to resume manufacture of forgings for the French nuclear fleet at its Le Creusot site. This decision allows the plant to continue ramping up its production with a target of 80 ingots per year. The authorization is […]

The world’s nuclear power industry has been busy in the new year, with several construction projects reaching key milestones as 2018 began. EPR Units Making Progress Four EPR nuclear units are under construction in three countries: Olkiluoto 3 in Finland began construction in August 2005, Flamanville 3 in France began construction in December 2007, and […]

The European Union (EU) is unequivocally continuing down a path of global climate and energy leadership while bringing online more carbon-neutral fuel systems throughout its 28 member states, closing in on the 2020 goal of a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from 1990 levels. Indeed, the newly released European Environment 
Agency’s (EEA’s) Trends […]

The rapid adoption of electric vehicles (EVs)—both battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs)—is expected to transform global electricity consumption through 2040, three

When you bring two power giants together to develop a new breed of combined cycle gas turbine plant, you expect the results to be pretty good. When EDF and GE installed the first commercial 9HA gas turbine in

Rosatom Gets Approval to Proceed with Turkish Reactors. Turkey’s energy watchdog EPDK in mid-June gave Russia’s state-owned nuclear entity Rosatom the green light to proceed with construction of the $20

France, which currently gets more than 75% of its electricity generation from nuclear, may close as many as 17 reactors by 2025, according to Minister of Environment Nicolas Hulot. In an interview with RTL radio on July 10, Hulot stated that Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, who took office in mid-May, intends to see through the […]

Several European countries have moved to adopt distinct cybersecurity measures as a result of the increased interconnectivity within Europe’s energy system along with a changing paradigm that includes decentralized power sources, the integration of electric vehicles, new digital infrastructure, and connected operational technology. According to a 2016 survey by the European Commission, at least 80% […]

As France’s grid operator Réseau de Transport d’Électricité (RTE) warned the public that they need to start taking measures to conserve energy as temperatures plummet or face rolling blackouts, the nation’s nuclear watchdog, the Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire (ASN), has given the go-ahead to restart all but three of the 12 nuclear reactors that have […]

Although AREVA recently disclosed that 17 U.S. nuclear power plant units have installed components that were forged at the Le Creusot facility in France—a forge that has been under scrutiny due to questionable quality assurance documentation and carbon segregation irregularities in some parts manufactured at the site—the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) does not consider the […]

Just as the election of Donald J. Trump could result in redirected energy policy in the U.S., 2017 elections in France and Germany could reshape plans for electricity infrastructure on the European continent. Also on both continents, some factors and trends will be out of elected officials’ control. “Difficult to see. Always in motion is […]

The $23.8 billion Hinkley Point C nuclear project has received the UK government’s green light, but the country wants to ensure that project’s ownership cannot change without government agreement. After a “comprehensive review” of the project and a revised agreement with French power generator EDF, the UK Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial (DBEI) Strategy […]

Guinness World Records recognized GE’s HA gas turbine for powering the world’s most efficient—up to 62.22%—combined cycle power plant. The first unit equipped with an HA turbine officially began operation on June 17 at EDF’s plant located in Bouchain, France. “Today we are making history with this power plant for the future,” said Steve Bolze, […]

The first of two 500-kW OpenHydro tidal turbines has been successfully deployed at French utility EDF’s much-watched Paimpol-Bréhat tidal project, which is under construction in North Brittany, France. When

The proposed expansion of the Hinkley Point nuclear plant in the U.K., a joint project between French-based EDF and Chinese firm CGN, was thrown into fresh doubts this month as EDF’s CEO said the project cannot proceed without additional financial support from the French government. The hugely expensive project—at £18 billion ($25.5 billion) it would […]

Editors note: Corrected (Dec. 7). A previous version of this infographic listed Russia’s nuclear total as 1.9 GW. It is 2.9 GW.

Italian energy giant Ansaldo Energia says its acquisition of Alstom’s GT 26 and GT36 gas turbine assets and technology, as required by European regulators, will allow the company to increase its turnover twofold in the coming five years. The firm owned 44.8% by Italian state-owned holding company Fondo Strategico Italiano and 40% by Chinese equipment […]

France’s state-owned utility EDF will snap up between 51% and 75% of troubled nuclear giant AREVA’s reactor business in a possible $2.96 billion deal.  While the French government owns about 87% of AREVA and 85% of EDF, the utility that operates the nation’s aging 58-reactor fleet, it has pledged to look at all options to […]

French nuclear firm AREVA’s dismal financial results for 2014 are indicative of the continuing stagnation of nuclear operations, a lack of competitiveness, and the company’s difficulties in managing the risks inherent in large projects, CEO Philippe Knoche said today. The company reported a loss of €4.9 billion ($5.6 billion) for 2014 in line with a […]

France will look at all options in an attempt to overhaul its state-run nuclear industry, French Energy Minister Ségolène Royal told reporters on Monday, after AREVA reported a $5.6 billion loss for 2014.  The nuclear giant announced in a Feb. 23 statement that it expects a hefty €4.9 billion loss ($5.6 billion) for 2014. The […]

“Pivoting” is a popular business buzzword, particularly in the context of startups, which often quickly change strategic direction. The global nuclear industry isn’t exactly a startup, but it is at or

The AREVA-Siemens consortium that is building the Olkiluoto 3 nuclear reactor in Finland, and the plant’s owner, Finnish utility Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO), have again increased claims and counterclaims for billions of dollars in costs and losses, which they say are caused by delays afflicting the world’s first EPR project. At the end of 2003, TVO […]

France will cap its nuclear power capacity at the current 63.2 GW, forcing closures if new reactors come online, and instead boost renewable generation if a bill unveiled by its energy ministry in mid-June

After nearly two months of wooing, General Electric (GE) is finally going to get what it wants. On June 21, GE announced that the Alstom Board of Directors had chosen the GE offer to acquire the power and grid businesses over a separate offer proposed by Siemens and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. GE said the offer […]

Siemens AG and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (MHI) announced on June 16 that they have submitted a proposal to Alstom, the French multinational conglomerate. The offer comes less than a week after the companies confirmed that they were considering a joint proposal and less than 2 months after General Electric (GE) made an offer to […]