Areva has signed a unique integrated fuel and related services contract with Xcel Energy in the USA to supply the Monticello nuclear power plant in Minnesota. The contract covers uranium, conversion, enrichment, fuel design and fabrication, and related engineering services. It is the first of a kind awarded by a nuclear utility to a fuel supplier in the country in several decades. Under the agreement, Areva will provide six fuel reloads which correponds to a decade of fuel supply, with deliveries beginning in 2015. The contract includes transition of the Monticello plant to use Areva’s innovative Atrium^TM 10XM boiling water reactor fuel. This will be the first time that Xcel Energy will use Areva fuel in its plants.

Luc Oursel, CEO, said: “Areva is very pleased with the trust placed in us by Xcel Energy. This new success was made possible thanks to our integrated business model that draws on a broad portfolio of products and services tailored to meet our customers’ needs.”

Dennis Koehl, Senior Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer for Xcel Energy, said the utility looks forward to working with Areva. “This contract represents the start of a productive working relationship, one we believe will benefit our customers by controlling fuel costs,” Koehl said.

Xcel Energy is a major US utility operating in eight Midwestern and Western states, with a total generation capacity of 16,000 MW.