The French Nuclear Medusa

French nuclear giants square off in squabble
The two French nuclear giants - Areva and Électricté de France - both almost entirely government-owned, have been squaring off in a new row that is undermining confidence in both companies worldwide. EDF, the electricity group that runs 58 reactors in France, claims that Areva has ceased transportation of irradiated fuels at EDF reactor sites to the Areva reprocessing plant on the Normandy coast. EDF also claims that Areva has blocked the import of uranium, needed to fuel the country's nuclear power plants. The two companies are apparently at loggerheads over a new one billion dollar Areva contract with EDF to process irradiated fuel. Areva has denied that it has stopped uranium supplies but admits blocking transportation and treatment of irradiated fuel. According to a report in The Times (UK), "Their squabble has been cited as one of the factors behind France's failure to secure a $42 billion contract to build reactors in Abu Dhabi, a contract that went to South Korea instead as reported in last week's Medusa. EDF is a partner with Constellation Energy of the U.S. in a plan to build a third (French) reactor at the Calvert Cliffs, MD nuclear power plant site already home to two reactors.