Poland: AREVA continues proactive sourcing program to strengthen global supply chain

Following the success of the company’s Supplier Day organized in Warsaw last year, AREVA started on March 1 and 2 a new series of meetings with selected Polish companies and potential suppliers as part of its pluri-regional localization strategy in support of the potential deployment of the global EPR™ fleet in Poland and beyond.

AREVA first went to Wroclaw Technology Park, an important business incubator of high-tech companies whose mission is to support the development of the local, scientific and industrial base, and to stimulate advanced technology industry in the region. On the second day, AREVA met with members of the BEJ group, a scientific-industrial consortium of companies, universities and research institutes for the production and testing of materials and structures for nuclear power plants.

“We are honored to receive AREVA today as its involvement in our country represents a real springboard for our high-technology industry. Their early collaborations with our industry propelled their Polish partner companies to another level and opened them to new opportunities,” said Dr. Maciej Chorowski, Director of the Wroclaw Technology Park and Professor at the Wroclaw University of Technology.

This two-day sourcing marathon further demonstrates AREVA’s commitment to its pluri-regional localization strategy that leverages local skills from multiple locations to continuously develop its European and International supply chain to ensure competitive, on-time and on-budget delivery of the company’s new-build projects worldwide.

While preparing for national nuclear programs, AREVA thereby provides countries like Poland with immediate bankable prospects and commercial opportunities in its ongoing new-build projects and at AREVA’s own industrial facilities worldwide.

“AREVA is deeply committed to utilizing the industrial and technological expertise that already exists in Poland,” said Ruben Lazo, AREVA’s Chief Commercial Officer, while in Poland this week to reaffirm AREVA’s engagement toward the Polish nuclear program.

“A number of Polish suppliers have already joined AREVA and are involved in key aspects of the EPR™ reactor construction project at Olkiluoto 3 in Finland. Building on this successful cooperation, we want to partner with more Polish suppliers to support our new-build projects worldwide, as well as the construction the first two nuclear power plants to be built in Poland”, Lazo said.

Increasingly active on the Polish market, AREVA has already established several cooperation agreements with Polish companies and leading universities. So far, the group has signed Memoranda of Understanding with Polimeks-Mostostal, a construction-engineering company, and with the prestigious Polytechnic University of Warsaw (Politechnika Warszawska - PW).  AREVA has also a long collaborative tradition with the Polish scientific community -- especially in research and nuclear education -- and is deeply involved in governmental programs aiming to develop the Polish nuclear energy industry.

As Poland re-launched its civil nuclear program in 2009, Polish utility Polska Grupa Energetyczna (PGE) announced its plan to build two 3000 MWe nuclear power plants in Poland. AREVA is thus preparing to propose its advanced EPR™ reactor, which is the reference technology for advanced safety in Europe. The EPR™ design is indeed the only advanced reactor that has already been certified by European Safety Regulators and that is under construction in Europe – in France and Finland – as well as in China.

To listen to Polish suppliers’ feedback on their participation to the Olkiluoto EPR™ project, click here (on the page, click on “Play animation”)

For more information on AREVA’s activities in Poland, visit AREVA Polska website