At a press conference in Paris today, the French Nuclear Industry Association (AIFEN) presented the World Nuclear Exhibition (WNE), the leading international nuclear exhibition, to be held at le Bourget, near Paris, from October 13-16, 2014. French ministers for foreign trade, Nicole Bricq, and productive recovery, Arnaud Montebourg, joined EDF CEO Henri Proglio, Areva CEO Luc Oursel and Gerard Kottmann, AIFEN President and COO of Valinox nuclear (Vallourec group) for the announcement.
To promote the event, AIFEN has signed a partnership agreement with the UK’s Nuclear Industry Association (NIA), which will be promoting participation by its 260 British nuclear industry member companies.
AIFEN also signed an agreement with the Atomic Energy Commission and Energies Alternatives, which will provide support for AIFEN’s projects and actions to increase the French nuclear industry’s international visibility.
The World Nuclear Exhibition is a biennial event showcasing the offerings of nuclear suppliers from around the world through exhibition displays and conferences encompassing all activities related to nuclear programs: the fuel cycle, reactor technologies, maintenance of the existing nuclear fleet, decommissioning / deconstruction, safety, radiation protection, civil engineering, training opportunities and the professions represented in this cutting edge industry. The exhibition is expected to draw a wide audience, including nuclear operators, constructors and investors.
AIFEN was created as part of France’s CSFN (Comité Stratégique de la Filière Nucléaire) to bring together the key players of the French nuclear industry and four associations* (PFCE, PFME, PNB, GIIN) to promote France’s capabilities and expertise in the field internationally.
The French nuclear industry is comprised of 2,500 companies, employs nearly 220,000 people and generates 46 billion euros in annual revenues, including 5.6 billion euros from exports. Its 1.8 billion euros in R&D investment ranks it as France 4th most innovative sector. The industry plans to undertake massive hiring between now and 2020, with projections for 110,000 recruitments.