Significant progress made in preparing ATMEA 1 for deployment in Canada 

Developed by ATMEA, a joint venture of AREVA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), the ATMEA1™ reactor has completed a Pre-Project Vendor Design Review carried out by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), which has validated the objectives and global safety options of the reactor by comparing them with the regulatory requirements for the construction of new nuclear plants.

The assessment concludes that at an overall level, the ATMEA1™ design intent is compliant with the CNSC regulatory requirements and meets the expectations for new nuclear power plants in Canada. This allows the ATMEA1™ to be considered for new builds in Canada.

ATMEA1™ is a 1,100 megawatt Generation III+ pressurized water reactor (PWR) using reliable and proven technology. The design has advanced safety and security systems derived from both AREVA and MHI: resistance to aircraft crashes and earthquakes, the latest-generation instrumentation & control, a core catcher and three independent safety trains. These features meet the most recent international rules and recommendations, including post-Fukushima requirements.

In 2012, the French Nuclear Safety Authority (Autorité de sûreténucléaire -ASN) confirmed that the ATMEA1™ reactor met the defined safety criteria for this generation of reactors.

Selected for the Sinop site in Turkey and pre-selected in Jordan, Brazil and Argentina, the ATMEA1™ reactor now has good commercial prospects worldwide.

“Safety authorities’ recognition of ATMEA1™ safety options proves the relevance of AREVA and MHI’s decisions in this field,” declared Claude Jaouen, Senior Executive Vice President of AREVA Reactors & Services Business Group.