Areva to work on California nuclear plant

FRESNO, CALIFORNIA - French nuclear engineering company Areva SA said it has firmed up an agreement with Fresno Nuclear Energy Group to develop a newgeneration reactor in Californias Central Valley.

Areva has said FNEG is a group of investors that wants to acquire the socalled EPR, or European Pressurized Reactor, technology for California.

EPR reactors are under construction in France, Finland and China, and the certification process is under way in the United States and Britain.

In California, Areva said that it has signed an agreement with FNEG to jointly select a site and work on the initial development of a 1,600megawatt EPR unit.

Our goal is to create a powerproducing infrastructure that combines clean electric energy sources, including nuclear, solar, and future technologies, said John Hutson, president of FNEG, in a statement.

Once the site is selected, FNEG and Areva will also start developing solar power.