Areva of France and Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) have won approval form the European Commission to form a joint venture to develop nuclear reactor technology. The new company – known as Atmea – would not significantly impede competition, said the Commission.
“The Commission concluded that the proposed transaction would not significantly impede competition in the European Economic Area (EEA) or any substantial part of it,” said the EU executive in a statement.
The joint venture will be responsible for the design, licensing, certification, marketing, sale, construction and commissioning of a single type of nuclear island. The unit will be an advanced third-generation, pressurized water, 3-loop reactor with a power rating of around 1100 MWe, according to MHI.
This new reactor is designed to address the specific markets where such a size of reactor better fits the grid or the demand pattern. The two companies have been working together on the design since October 2006.
