AREVA’s Chalon/Saint-Marcel plant has received the American Nuclear Society’s Nuclear Historic Landmark Award
– By Abby Gessner –
This honor is given by the American Nuclear Society (ANS) in recognition of sites that have greatly contributed to the development of nuclear energy and implemented advanced industrial technologies.
The Chalon/St-Marcel site is recognized as a pillar of AREVA’s integrated model, and as a world leader in manufacturing the main components in the primary loop of nuclear power plants, including the reactor vessel and vessel head, steam generators and pressurizer.
The recent extension to its facilities, combined with the constant modernization of its production equipment and unstinting efforts in the fields of R&D, all bear witness to the drive of the plant, in which major investments have been made since 2006. Since it was first commissioned in 1975, the facility has used precision techniques to manufacture more than 500 heavy components, all meeting the high quality standards required for nuclear power stations worldwide.
During his site visit, ANS President Tom Sanders officially gave a plaque symbolizing the award to Guillaume Dureau, Equipment BU Executive Vice President, and Site Director Hervé Hottelart. To mark the occasion, the site’s employees all took part in a ceremony looking back over the history of Chalon/St-Marcel, including testimonies, anecdotes and images.
At the ceremony, Guillaume Dureau said, “We are proud to receive this prestigious honor from the American Nuclear Society, which confirms Chalon/St-Marcel as a global reference for the manufacture of heavy components for nuclear reactors”.
Chalon/St-Marcel also serves as the model for the AREVA Newport News manufacturing facility now under construction. AREVA and partner Northrop Grumman broke ground in July on the $363 million manufacturing facility in Newport News, Va., which will employ more than 500 workers when complete.