French promise Brits £10bn of nuclear work

British firms could win up to £10bn of  work from Areva’s £14.2bn new build nuclear programme in the UK, Areva president Luc Oursel said today.

The French reactor designer is planning to deliver up to ten European Pressurised Reactors (EPR), worth £14.42bn, as part of the UK's £40bn new nuclear programme. The first four will be for energy firm EDF, with work on the first EDF site beginning in 2013.

Speaking at Areva’s suppliers’day: "Join the Nuclear Renaissance", held in Birmingham this morning, Oursel said UK firms were in the vanguard of a global nuclear renaissance that would open up opportunities both in the UK and overseas.

He said: "Although we shall manufacture the main heavy components ourselves, that represents only some 30% of the total nuclear island equipment by value. The available market is some 70% of the total.

"Yes we have current suppliers, but we need significantly more if we are to deliver our target of thirty percent of the global new build programme. The UK is in the van, in the first wave of a global new-build renaissance and UK suppliers can use this opportunity to open up global opportunities, to join Areva and start national, go global".

Speaking at the event, energy  minister Mike O’Brien said competition will be fierce. He called for UK firms ‘to step up to the plate and show they can deliver.’

More than 120 UK firms attended the meeting, which was oversubscribed. Oursel said Areva estimated the UK new build market to be in the region of 20-25 GW, with the first wave of new builds being dictated by those developing sites early.

He said: "The first wave is likely to be some 4-10 EPR reactors. This is a significant new build programme. We expect EDF to construct some 4 Areva EPR reactors and we expect to construct up to six more."

Areva is planning more suppliers’ conferences and called for potential UK suppliers to register at its dedicated website .