the Mike

Mitsubishi, Assystem take stakes in France's nuclear reactors firm

Paris - AFP

Japanese conglomerate Mitsubishi and French engineering consulting firm Assystem have taken stakes in French nuclear reactor business New NP, created from Areva, electricity firm EDF said Monday. The operation will value New NP at 2.5 billion euros, it said. EDF had obtained the green light in May from EU anti-trust regulators to buy out the troubled Areva Group's nuclear reactorsRead more

Areva to allow Gamesa-Siemens wind power merger to proceed

Paris - AFP

French energy company Areva said Thursday it was selling its stake in an offshore wind power unit to Gamesa, removing a key hurdle to the Spanish renewable energy group's merger with German engineering giant Siemens. "Following a 3-month competitive bidding process aimed at obtaining and assessing offers from potential third-party investors, the Board of Directors of AREVA S.A. decided to...Read more

China city 'suspends' Sino-French nuclear project after protests

Beijing - AFP

A Chinese city said on Wednesday it would halt preparations for a possible Sino-French nuclear project after thousands of locals protested against it over the weekend, the latest official concession following environmental demonstrations. After days of protests by angry residents, the government of Lianyungang said on a verified microblog that it would "temporarily suspend" selection of a location for aRead more

Thousands protest possible China-France nuclear project

Beijing - AFP

Thousands of people took to the streets of a city in eastern China to protest against a possible Sino-French nuclear project, residents said on Monday, as local police denied beating demonstrators. Residents in Lianyungang, 480 kilometres (300 miles) north of Shanghai, shouted slogans and waved banners outside government offices at the weekend to complain about the health impacts of aRead more

France halts reactor in Areva parts scandal

Paris - AFP

A French nuclear power reactor has been shut down for additional testing, the nation's regulator said Thursday, as Greenpeace called for full disclosure of facilities using possibly faulty parts from Areva. The Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) said reactor 2 at the Fessenheim plant operated by French national power company EDF had been halted since Monday "to carry out additional investigations"Read more

France's 'Atomic Anne' charged over nuclear deal

Paris - AFP

French nuclear giant Areva's former boss Anne Lauvergeon was charged Friday as part of a probe linked to its disastrous 2007 purchase of a Canadian uranium mining firm, Uramin. "Atomic Anne" as she is known, who ran the group from 2001 to 2011, faces questioning specifically for presenting and publishing false accounts and spreading false information, a judicial source saidRead more