EDF and AREVA signed series of agreements in support of Saudi nuclear energy program

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 6-1-2014 — /EuropaWire/ — On the occasion of French President François Hollande’s visit to Riyadh on December 30, 2013, EDF and AREVA signed two sets of agreements aimed at supporting the Saudi nuclear energy program.

The two companies have signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with 5 Saudi industrial partners (Zamil Steel, Bahra Cables, Riyadh Cables, Saudi Pumps, Descon Olayan). These agreements aim to develop the industrial and technical skills of local companies. They reflect AREVA and EDF’s desire to build an extended network of Saudi suppliers for future nuclear projects in the country.

A second series of agreements signed with 4 Saudi universities (King Saud University in Riyadh, Dar Al Hekma College and Effat University in Jeddah and finally Prince Mohammed bin Fahd University in Al-Khobar), are intended to contribute to the development of nuclear expertise in the country.

These agreements follow on from the previous operations organized by EDF and AREVA, through their joint office in Riyadh. These include the “Suppliers’ Days” in March and October 2013, the visit to France by Saudi industrial companies in November, the agreement signed with the local professional training institute (NIT) in July 2013, the visits to French nuclear facilities organized for Saudi university faculty members in June 2013 and internship offers made to Saudi students since the summer.

EDF CEO Henri Proglio commented: “These new agreements underline EDF and AREVA’s commitment alongside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to enable it to successfully implement its national energy strategy and in particular to develop its future nuclear program by contributing to the development of a local network of manufacturers and by training qualified engineers.”

Luc Oursel, President and CEO of AREVA, added: “These agreements demonstrate the common will of EDF and AREVA to establish a true long-term partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They will enable the country to build a strong industrial base and a robust skills management program.”

EDF group, one of the leaders in the European energy market, is an integrated energy company active in all areas of the business: generation, transmission, distribution, energy supply and trading. The Group is the leading electricity producer in Europe. In France, it has mainly nuclear and hydropower generation facilities where95.9% of the electricity output is CO2-free. EDF’s transmission and distribution subsidiaries in France operate 1,285,000 km of low and medium voltage overhead and underground electricity lines and around 100,000 km of high and very high voltage networks. The Group is involvedin supplying energy and services to approximately 28.6 million customers in France. The Group generated consolidated sales of €72.7 billion in 2012, of which 46.2% outside of France. EDF is listed on the Paris Stock Exchange and is a member of the CAC 40 index.

AREVA supplies advanced technology solutions for power generation with less carbon. Its expertise and unwavering insistence on safety, security, transparency and ethics are setting the standard, and its responsible development is anchored in a process of continuous improvement. Ranked first in the global nuclear power industry, AREVA’s unique integrated offering to utilities covers every stage of the fuel cycle, nuclear reactor design and construction, and operating services. The group is actively developing its activities in renewable energies – wind, bioenergy, solar and energy storage – to become a European leader in this sector. With these two major offers, AREVA’s 46,000 employees are helping to supply ever safer, cleaner and more economical energy to the greatest number of people.

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