"LES has committed that we will not store waste for more than a few years,
and we will dispose of byproducts out of state," said LES President Jim
Ferland.

This is called a chain reaction, or nuclear criticality.

criticality inis

Ferland added, "This agreement on deconversion goes beyond the
requirements of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and affirms our
company 's commitment that we will remove and dispose of wastes and not store
them indefinitely in New Mexico . Among other holdings, AREVA owns Canberra Aquila, Inc.

This occurs naturally in radioactive elements (radioactive decay), but it can be induced artificially by making fissionable atoms absorb free neutrons .

nucleus chernobyl

M.
Within the U.
LES is a partnership of major nuclear energy companies.S.

artificially reactor

safeguards candu

, a subsidiary of the AREVA
Group, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that could lead to the
construction of a private uranium hexafluoride deconversion plant to support
the proposed National Enrichment Facility (NEF) outside Eunice, New Mexico. Another AREVA subsidiary,
Framatome-ANP, operates a deconversion facility that supports a fuel
fabrication plant in Washington State which will be the model process used for
future DOE deconversion plants in Portsmouth, Ohio, and Paducah, Kentucky. AREVA is
also already part of the New Mexico business community. It will use a proven
technology that has operated safely in Europe for 30 years.S.
With manufacturing facilities in over 40 countries and a sales network in
over 100, AREVA offers its clients technological solutions for nuclear energy
and electrical transmission and distribution.

New Brunswick confirms CANDU long-term future

AECL's reactor life extension capability is
complementary to its reactor new build program and is expected to ramp up
significantly in the next five years as CANDU nuclear reactors in Korea,
Argentina, Ontario and Quebec come due for life extension. Our 3,200 employees are focused on delivering R+D
support, nuclear services, design and engineering, construction management,
specialist technology, and waste management and decommissioning in support of
CANDU reactor products.ca.

fissionable uic

, AREVA has 41 offices and over 7000 employees. AREVA, Inc.
"The plant is in good condition going into life extension," says AECL
Chief Operating Officer Ken Petrunik.

chernobyl neutrons

"New Brunswick Power has invested in
maintenance and improvements on an ongoing basis and we are confident the
plant will operate reliably for an additional 25 years once our work is done."
AECL is responsible for two aspects of the overall project: retubing in
which 380 fuel channels and associated feeder tubes will be removed and
replaced, and construction of a facility on site to store the removed active
material; and refurbishment, where aging components and outdated technology
will be removed and upgraded.

criticality transmutation

The AECL designed CANDU is the only commercial reactor designed to allow
replacement of the reactor core.aecl.

decay reactor

When the license application is approved, the NEF will introduce the
world's most advanced uranium enrichment technology into the U. AECL mobilizing immediately on Point Lepreau life extension

MISSISSAUGA, ON , Aug.

Therefore, under certain conditions, the reaction can become self sustaining.

safeguards inspectorate

"AREVA is the world expert in deconversion and they have been doing
it for over 20 years, with over 300,000 tons of uranium hexafluoride having
been processed. "As there are no ultimate disposal options in New Mexico,"
Ferland said.

fepc reactor

We are delighted that their technology will be available to
us to achieve this goal.S. utilities for uranium, conversion and enrichment services,
fuel fabrication, reactor engineering, components and services, and spent fuel
management solutions. Partners include
Urenco, Westinghouse and U ., with AREVA
corporate headquarters in Paris, France.
The plant owner, New Brunswick Power , will be responsible for other
aspects of the project including: normal shut down of plant for outage ,
removal of fuel, heavy water, normal maintenance during outage, providing new
fuel, reloading heavy water and providing station staff to restart the plant.

The fission process yields two smaller atoms, energy and several fast neutrons.

reactor chernobyl

The oxide would then be sent to low-level radioactive
waste facilities outside the State of New Mexico for storage and/or disposal. The group also provides
interconnect systems to the telecommunications, computer and automotive
markets. "AECL has the people, the resources and the
proven track record to ensure this important project is completed successfully
and the Lepreau reactor continues producing power efficiently for another
25 years.

neutrons uic

ALBUQUERQUE, N.
AREVA currently uses two proven technologies that will reduce the uranium
by-product to a stable oxide form -- which is recommended by the NRC for
easiest long-term disposal.
AREVA's subsidiary , COGEMA, is currently operating a large-scale
deconversion plant in Pierrelatte, France. is headquartered in Bethesda, Md. AECL is immediately mobilizing and is fully ready
to complete the life extension project at the Point Lepreau nuclear power
plant."
AECL has been working closely with New Brunswick Power, the Canadian
Nuclear Safety Commission and its many project partners to assess the plant's
condition, develop a comprehensive integrated project plan and schedule and
complete the scope and budget for the project.

uranium decommissioning

,
an Albuquerque based company that is the recognized industry leader in the
manufacture of surveillance systems; review stations; and electronic seals and
tags for the worldwide nuclear safeguards community.
The economics of life extension through replacement of the reactor core
are looking increasingly attractive.

safeguards decay

, Louisiana Energy Services (LES )
and the nuclear energy services company AREVA, Inc. Thus we are looking at site options in
Texas , near the NEF, where disposal of the deconverted uranium oxide could be
handled by a Texas low-level waste repository, should one be licensed by the
State of Texas. AREVA is a major
supplier to U. After an exhaustive examination of all
options, the Province of New Brunswick concluded that the CANDU life extension
project with AECL represents the best balance of cost and risk for its
electricity ratepayers.
AECL's years of actively supporting the operation of the station and its
strong working relationships with Point Lepreau staff, New Brunswick Power
staff and local suppliers enables the project team to work smoothly and
seamlessly. Additional information on AECL and its products can be
found at http://www.

This causes the nucleus to become unstable and makes it split apart.

nuclear absorb

nuclear energy
companies.

This category is related to the technological and safety aspects of the production of useful energy released by the fission of heavy nucleus.

In the nuclear fission process, the nucleus of an atom splits into two smaller atoms (fission products).

chernobyl criticality

S. AECL fully intends to maintain its long -standing commitment to
hiring and working closely with qualified local labour and suppliers.

iaea uic

This would bring economic development benefits there as well.
It is also possible however, for the uranium oxide to be disposed of in
several other licensed facilities in the United States.
The NEF will provide more than 200 permanent jobs and more than 400 multi-
year construction jobs in southeast New Mexico.

absorb nuclear

Since coming to New Mexico LES has stated, and committed to New Mexico
Governor Bill Richardson, Attorney General Patricia Madrid, and the citizens,
their intent to pursue construction of a private deconversion facility outside
of New Mexico to deconvert the NEF byproduct to uranium oxide that can be
disposed of safely.
"Although in most cases we would not be making deconversion plans so early
in the process of developing an enrichment facility, Governor Richardson and
Attorney General Madrid have pressed for this kind of commitment by LES toward
out-of-state deconversion and disposal. A deconversion facility to support
our enrichment plant is not necessary for a number of years yet, as there will
not be any material to deconvert for some time."
The NRC recently reaffirmed the plausibility of the LES backup option to
transfer the depleted uranium hexafluoride to the Department of Energy (DOE)
for disposition if for some reason a private deconversion facility is
unavailable.

transmutation uic

LES and AREVA Sign Memorandum of Understanding for Deconversion Facility near the National Enrichment Facility

"We believe it makes the most sense to look outside New Mexico
to site the deconversion facility.

decay neutrons

These businesses engage AREVA's 70,000 employees in the 21st
century 's greatest challenges: making energy and communication resources
available to all, protecting the planet and acting responsibly towards future
generations.

1 - Atomic Energy of Canada Limited
(AECL) today announced that New Brunswick Power is taking advantage of the
unique design feature of the CANDU nuclear reactor that allows its operating
life to be easily extended.
AECL is an integrated nuclear technology company providing services to
nuclear utilities worldwide .

nuclear uranium

A nuclear reactor is an apparatus in which nuclear fission chain reactions are initiated, controlled , and sustained at a steady rate.

reactors fepc

However, now that an
agreement has been reached, important site selection, licensing and other
activities must take place to identify a location that is suitable , convenient
to the labor force, acceptable to regulators, and near the NEF," Ferland said.
"Clean, reliable, affordable power from Point Lepreau is crucial to the
continued economic well being of the people of New Brunswick," says AECL
President and CEO Robert Van Adel.

nrc fepc

While today's agreement marks significant progress toward a long-term
deconversion and disposal path, Ferland noted it is important to understand
this is just one step in a lengthy process. and provide
an alternative, domestic enrichment supply source to U. energy companies Duke Power, Entergy and Exelon .

absorb reactor

"
"We look forward to working with LES and bringing AREVA's global technical
expertise in uranium materials management to the project," said Mike McMurphy,
President of AREVA, Inc.
"Our agreement with AREVA provides a timeline for expected activities and
operations."
LES has made a strong commitment to the citizens and officials of New
Mexico that there will be no long-term or indefinite storage of our byproduct
in New Mexico.

About AECL

AECL has continuously been designing and constructing CANDU nuclear power
plants on schedule and on budget and is now adding a life extension capability
that will significantly increase the return on investment of each CANDU
reactor.