Enhanced Collaboration Agreement between Warsaw University of Technology and AREVA

A collaboration agreement between Warsaw University of Technology (WUT) and AREVA was signed in Warsaw on December 18th 2012. This agreement is an extension to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two partners in July 2011.

A new agreement was required, since the actual collaboration within the framework of the initial MoU had become significantly wider and deeper than was initially foreseen.

This new understanding builds on AREVA’s long collaborative tradition with the Polish scientific community, especially in research and nuclear education. Collaboration between AREVA and WUT started in 2009 through the “Train the Trainers/Poland” program signed by the French and Polish Administrations.

Since the signing of the MoU, four WUT masters degree students have been pursuing their diploma studies at AREVA’s research facilities. AREVA specialists have also given several courses at WUT focused on “Steam Generator Thermal and Hydraulic Engineering” and “Power Plant Operations”. The continuation of the collaboration within the framework of the new agreement will extend this shared educational work, which will also be enriched by a new aspect: common scientific projects.

“Numerous new projects are about to start, which involve both educational and scientific cooperation, so a more detailed collaboration framework has become necessary. As a world leader in the development of technologies for low-carbon energy, we are committed to sharing our expertise with the Polish scientific community to help build a sound and self-reliant nuclear industry in Poland,” said Tarik Choho, Vice Chief Commercial Officer.

Poland relaunched its civil nuclear program in 2009, and PGE’s (Polska Grupa Energetyczna) call for tenders for the construction of the first Polish nuclear power plant is expected in 2013. Working in partnership with EDF, AREVA will respond by proposing its EPR^TM (Evolutionary Pressurized Water Reactor), a benchmark in European technology, which is currently being deployed in Finland and France, and was recently approved by the British regulator.