At the request of Tokyo Electric Power Co., five additional
experts from Areva will help engineers in Japan manage the crisis at the
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
The Areva personnel, who will join a number of Areva staff
dispatched to Japan earlier, are experts in radioactive effluent treatment and
spent-fuel storage, according to a company release. An Areva spokeswoman told
Reuters that TEPCO requested the help because of Areva’s waste expertise as the
Japanese utility deals with contaminated water at Fukushima.
Areva CEO Anne Lauvergeon joined
efforts in Tokyo Wednesday and is expected to remain in Japan
for several days.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is scheduled to
visit the country today. He is the first head of state to visit Japan since the
March 11 earthquake and subsequent reactor crisis. France owns a majority stake
in Areva and generates 76 percent of its electricity using nuclear power.