by Katherine Berezowskyj
And you thought all historical landmarks had to be old and falling apart…well this is certainly not true of AREVA’s Chalon/Saint-Marcel plant. It is an advanced facility that manufactures the heavy components in nuclear power plants. Nonetheless, Chalon/Saint-Marcel did just receive the American Nuclear Society’s (ANS) Nuclear Historic Landmark Award which recognizes sites that have greatly contributed to the development of nuclear energy and implementation of advanced industrial technology.
The Chalon/Saint-Marcel facility received this recognition because it’s a world leader in the manufacturing of heavy reactor components─ reactor vessel, vessel head, steam generator, and pressurizer─ and because it’s a critical piece to AREVA’s integrated model for providing a complete solution for nuclear power generation to our customers. The facility was commissioned in 1975 and has produced more than 500 components, all of which have met the high quality standards for nuclear power stations. In addition to the constant modernization of equipment and continuous work in R&D, Chalon/Saint-Marcel has seen some major investment since 2006, ensuring that the facility remains top-of-the-line.
With the success that AREVA has seen in the production of heavy components here, we are using it as a model for our plans in Virginia. Based on of the Chalon/Saint Marcel facility, we are building AREVA Newport News, a $363 million heavy component manufacturing facility, primarily for U.S. EPR™ reactors. It is a joint venture between AREVA and Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding that broke ground at the end of July and will employ more than 500 people when finished.
We have more information on AREVA Newport News here.
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