29 October 2008 - E.ON and the research institute Commissariat à L'Energie Atomique (CEA) located in Cadarache in southern France have agreed cooperation in the field of nuclear energy research.
Cooperation will mainly focus on material research, innovation in reactor technology and safety as well as the development of the next power station generation. The research results will thus contribute to both safe operation of existing plants and the planning and implementation of new power station projects.
With at least 11 GW, E.ON is among the leading operators of nuclear power stations in Europe. Moreover, the company is examining new power station options in other European countries, for example in Finland and the UK.
In the spring of 2008, E.ON already agreed cooperation with Areva and Siemens in the fields of new power station construction and further development of nuclear energy technology. With approx 4500 employees, CEA is the largest nuclear technology research organisation in Europe.
Wulf Bernotat, CEO of E.ON AG, said: "Numerous European countries have decided in favour of expanding power generation based on nuclear power. Against this background we want to play an active role in safety research and in further developing this technology of the future. We are pleased that, with CEA, we have been successful in winning one of the most renowned nuclear research institutes of Europe as a partner."
Philippe Pradel welcomed the future collaboration with E.ON as a sign that European utilities are increasingly interested in further developing their electricity-generation capacity from nuclear power in the context of a necessary push towards low-carbon energy technologies.
He said: "CEA, as a leading European fission research organisation, can support nuclear utilities both in maintaining the safety and competitiveness of existing plants and in developing in collaboration with industry innovative fission technologies."