United States: AREVA Successfully Delivers Two Steam Generators to Prairie Island

AREVA is pleased to announce the safe and successful delivery of two steam generators to the Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant in Red Wing, Minnesota. Delivery of the generators is the culmination of a 10-week journey beginning at the AREVA Chalon/Saint-Marcel facility in France.

“These massive components represent over 600 tons of American energy security, and we congratulate Xcel Energy on their investment to ensure the sustained supply of safe, clean, ‘round-the-clock’ nuclear power from their Prairie Island facility,” said Mike Rencheck, CEO of AREVA Inc. “We are proud to support Xcel Energy and contribute to the growth of the U.S. energy economy with the safe delivery of high-quality, heavy equipment.”

After being manufactured by AREVA at the company’s Chalon/Saint-Marcel facility, the steam generators, each 21 meters tall and weighing 330 tons, traveled via barge to the Mediterranean Sea. From there, they were shipped across the Atlantic Ocean and then up the Mississippi River, arriving at the Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Facility near Red Wing, Minn., on April 11. These new steam generators will be stored securely on-site until installation during this fall’s planned refueling outage.

“The investments we are making at Prairie Island will keep it operating safely and reliably for the next 20 years,” said Tim O’Connor, Xcel Energy senior vice president and chief nuclear officer. “Investments in our nuclear plants ensure they will continue to generate low-cost, carbon free electricity, which is a great value for our customers.”