http://craig.senate.gov/press/

For Immediate Release:
June 30, 2008

Craig to Meet with Areva, Other Nuclear and French Government Officials on Nuclear Tour

Washington, DC — Idaho Senator Larry Craig is in France this week to meet with a number of nuclear power and French governments officials, including the CEO of AREVA—a leading global supplier of enriched uranium for use in commercial nuclear reactors, which announced last month it is building a $2 billion uranium enrichment plant in Bonneville County, Idaho.

Senator Craig is a guest of the French government, under the provisions of the Mutual Education and Cultural Exchange Act.

"The purpose of our trip is to visit the plants of AREVA, Idaho's newest energy partner, and others to see firsthand the successful experience France is enjoying with clean nuclear energy," said Craig, a senior member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. "America's development and expansion of our clean nuclear program are key to ending our dependence on foreign oil for our energy needs."

Craig will meet with AREVA CEO Anne Lauvergeon on Tuesday, July 1, almost three months after she notified the Senator of AREVA's decision to build a plant in Idaho. Craig worked to convince AREVA of Idaho's outstanding suitability for its first U.S. plant, even advancing site selection in Idaho himself for the global company. Once operational in 2014, the Idaho plant will employ more than 250 full-time staff to process natural uranium for use in domestic commercial nuclear power plants.

Craig on Wednesday will tour AREVA's George Besse II enrichment plant, currently under construction in Valence, France. The Bonneville County, Idaho, plant will follow the same design as the Valence construction.

The Senator also is touring the EDF Flamanville nuclear plant, now under construction and AREVA's La Hague site, located on the western tip of the Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy. The La Hague plant reprocesses spent power reactor fuel to recycle reusable energy materials—uranium and plutonium—and to condition the waste into suitable final form.

Senator Craig, also a senior member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, will honor American and Allied heroes, just prior to Independence Day, by visiting the Normandy American Military Cemetery and Visitor Center where he will meet with James Woolsey, director of Visitors Services for the American Battle Monuments Commission.

While in France, Senator Craig also has scheduled the following:

• Dinner with Jean-David Levitte, Senior Diplomatic Advisor to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and former French Ambassador to the United States;
• Breakfast hosted by French Trade Minister Anne-Marie Idrac and including John Hennessey-Niland, Trade Officer, U.S. Embassy, Paris; Jean-Pierre Benque, Senior Executive Vice President, EDF North America; Arthur De Montalembert, Vice President, International and Marketing for AREVA; Michael Wallace, Vice Chairman of Constellation Energy and Chairman of UniStar Nuclear Energy; and Alain Bugat, Administrator General of the French Atomic Energy Commission;
• Dinner hosted by Senator Jean-Francois Le Grand at the Conseil General de la Manche, Government Headquarters of the LaManche Department in Normandy;
• Meeting with Pierre Gadonneix, CEO of EDF;
• Dinner hosted by Senator Paul Girod, Chairman of the American Caucus in the French Senate, with other French Senators; and
• Dinner hosted by French Member of Parliament and Mayor of Monteglimar, Franck Reynier at the City Hall of Montelimar.

David Hill, Deputy Laboratory Director at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is on the trip as a technical advisor. Senator Craig returns to the United States on Thursday, July 3.

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