Crisis for Areva's La Hague plant as clients shun nuclear

[WorldNews]

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By Emmanuel Jarry BEAUMONT-HAGUE, France (Reuters) - Areva's nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in La Hague needs to cut costs as its international customers disappear following the Fukushima disaster, and its sole remaining big customer, fellow state-owned French utility EDF, pressures it to cut prices. Located at the westernmost tip of Normandy, La Hague reprocesses spent nuclear fuel for reuse in nuclear reactors and is a key part in Areva's production chain, which spans uranium mining to fuel recycling. "Our ambition is to cut costs by more than 15 percent over five years," La Hague director Pascal Aubret told Reuters. Areva said in January it would have to cut about 100 jobs at La Hague, which employs 3,100 people, plus another 1,000 Areva staff working for other Areva units and some 1,000 contractors.

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