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working together to reinvent mobility where diverse people are offered opportunities to learn with options across functions and geographies which led to the birth of the energy dissipator (“DISsiPateur d’ENergie” The secret of the Dispen damper lies in the perfect control of the oil flow through the piston thanks to efficient technology allowing precise control of the effort developed for optimised comfort and safe movement of the train Alstom's Dispen range of dampers includes linear These solutions provide operators with innovative and effective means to control train dynamics guaranteeing more comfortable travelling conditions and lowering the cost of ownership due to reduced wear and tear on mechanical parts optimised lifecycle cost and reduced scrapping The dampers can be repaired or replaced without dismantling the bogie dampers enable levelling systems to solve accessibility problems caused by platform heights The Dispen range offers more than just dampers for bogies It also includes carbody-sided inter-car and anti-roll dampers as well as anti-yaw dampers that connect the bogie and the carbody These are vital for ensuring the stability of rail vehicles while in motion Alstom is also working on active dampers to improve dynamic stability and further optimised comfort another major bogie development centre (CDS) Both sites are recognised for their ability to develop produce and maintain bogie solutions tailored to customer needs and the characteristics of specific markets SPIE is the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications Our 55,000 employees are committed to achieving the energy transition and responsible digital transformation alongside our customers SPIE aims to contribute to a more sustainable Do you want to use your skills to contribute to projects that help society a key player in the energy transition and digital transformation We are committed to the fight against climate change and mobilised for a responsible digital transformation intall and maintain energy-efficient and environmentaly-friendly facilities Find in this section all the useful information you can access SPIE's profile and key figures Would you like to interview an SPIE spokesperson 19 November 2024 – SPIE Building Solutions the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications took part in the “Low-Carbon” project at Safran Aircraft Engines’ Le Creusot site (Saône-et-Loire department) Safran Aircraft Engines is a subsidiary of the Safran Group and a world-leading aircraft engine manufacturer This ambitious project aims to reduce the industrial site’s CO2 emissions by 50% between 2018 and 2030 Safran wants to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions at its 15,500 square-metre Le Creusot site where it manufactures turbine discs for LEAP engines on new medium-haul aircraft from Airbus Boeing and Chinese aircraft manufacturer COMAC a subsidiary of SPIE Francespecialising in expertise dedicated to building intelligence and performance was asked to remove the gas combustion chambers used to heat the workshops and replace them with hot water batteries the SPIE Building Solutions teams installed three heat pumps made by French manufacturer Energie Transfert Thermique (ETT) to produce the water for the heating system The site’s hydraulic energy consumption is expected to fall from 2,300 MWh of gas to 900 MWh of electricity by 2025 An innovative heating and energy monitoring solution In addition to this support in decarbonisation SPIE Building Solutions has also deployed an innovative solution for monitoring electricity consumption in real time with information sent to the customer over a 5G connection This technology will allow Safran to closely monitor the energy savings and cost reductions made possible by the operation “We are proud of our participation in this decarbonisation programme which mobilises our expertise in building energy performance and demonstrates our commitment to the energy transition in the industrial sector” Business Manager at SPIE Building Solutions we brought together the skills of local teams to give us access to strong technical expertise and excellent services” “The solutions proposed by SPIE Building Solutions ensure an efficient transition for us to electricity Reducing the carbon footprint of the Le Creusot site is an integral part of Safran’s Low-Carbon strategy aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of its industrial activities by 30% by 2025” Project Manager at Safran Aircraft Engines’ Le Creusot site Framatome obtained validation from France's nuclear safety regulator of the technical qualifications to manufacture a series of 16 shells A shell is a cylindrical or conical hollow piece of fabricated metal A series of shells are welded together to form the external body of the main primary loop components The technical qualifications for the production of these shells are based on the requirements defined by the French regulation for nuclear pressure equipment It incorporates enhancements in the equipment and the manufacturing process of the components Framatome said ASN had recorded "enhanced process controls and other improvements to Le Creusot's quality management system ASN announced in April 2015 the discovery of an anomaly in the composition of the steel in certain zones of the vessel closure head and the vessel bottom head of the Flamanville EPR reactor The Le Creusot forge was taken out of operation in December 2015 The detection of the anomaly led ASN to ask Areva NP and EDF to "learn all possible lessons from this event" Of the 6000 records identified during the initial survey 3854 correspond to forgings installed on nuclear installations Framatome received approval from ASN and EDF in January 2018 to resume the manufacture of forgings for the French nuclear fleet at its Le Creusot site Framatome said that since 2016 employees at the Le Creusot plant have been committed to defining and implementing a comprehensive improvement plan this collective engagement made it possible to ramp up production for the construction of two EPR reactors at Hinkley Point C in the UK To support the increased activity over the last two years Framatome recruited more than 100 people and invested EUR23 million (USD27 million) in its industrial facilities the Le Creusot plant will spearhead Framatome's component manufacturing standardisation and industrialisation programme called Juliette Framatome is renewing its commitment to the process of industrial excellence," the company said "This new milestone at the Le Creusot plant is made possible by our employees' commitment and actions taken to achieve operational excellence in plant performance," said Jean-Bernard Ville senior executive vice president of the Projects and Components Manufacturing Business Unit at Framatome "Our ambition at Framatome is to position our plant as the world's benchmark for industrial excellence in the nuclear industry and the defence sector." a French town once dependent on coal mining there was no just transition from fossil fuels Montceau today is an open field for the far right stated plaintively in the second half of the town’s name Next door was the larger Montceau-les-Mines a coal-mining hub whose population then numbered roughly 28,000 the local mines had employed some 12,000 miners making Montceau a mining powerhouse in an otherwise bucolic region Much of the coal was used just nearby in Le Creusot feeding the furnaces in what for a time was France’s largest steel mill Today, the local coal plant’s giant smokestacks still loom over Montceau, but the jobs that clustered around the mines are long gone. From 1975 to 2015, the area lost more than half of its industrial jobs The local unemployment rate shot up to 22 percent And that was despite more than 10,000 people—a third of the population—leaving Montceau over the same period Those who have stuck around are disproportionately older: more than one in three over the age of sixty compared to one in four in France as a whole southwestern Burgundy served as a near barometer for national politics Le Pen won 18 percent in the first round of presidential voting in 2002—1 point higher than in France as a whole the younger Le Pen finished first in Montceau with 27 percent of the vote in the first round—nearly 6 points higher than nationally Even more striking are Montceau’s second round results Jean-Marie Le Pen’s score stayed unchanged from the first round Marine Le Pen’s second-round score shot up to 40 percent Montceau-les-Mines’ gradual shift from a left-leaning industrial hub to an open field for the far right is tied up with the history of fossil fuels “It was like the economy got hit with a sledgehammer,” René Serge Joby Hélène Ville, a Burgundy-based researcher with the national statistics institute Insee, likewise blames the area’s historic dependence on raw materials and heavy industry for its current decline. In a 2019 study she and a co-author compared Montceau-Le Creusot to five other urban areas with similar demographic profiles spanning the northern half of France from east to west They found that areas with more diversified industries rebounded from job losses in the 1980s and ’90s while towns like Montceau and Le Creusot—whose economies were highly concentrated—kept hollowing out For former industrial workers like Joby, it’s hard not to feel nostalgic. I met him a few kilometers outside Montceau, on an expressway overpass where a dedicated band of gilets jaunes (Yellow Vests) had pitched their camp He and other gilets jaunes looked back fondly at the worker militancy that marked the industrial era About 20 kilometers down the road from Montceau the remnants of a historic home of French steel can still be found At its height in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries Le Creusot had been a company town run by the Schneider dynasty The family’s mills produced France’s first locomotive in 1838 and Generations of Schneider steel barons took turns serving as mayor May ’68 also had its flickers in the area including a strike and occupation of the Schneider steel mills and soon the national backlash against the May rebellion hit home: Montceau and Le Creusot both elected right-wing members of parliament amid the wider Gaullist tide of the June 1968 elections was hit hard by the oil shocks of the 1970s; despite efforts to cut costs An overpass above the Route Centre Europe Atlantique (Colin Kinniburgh) The expressway we looked over as Joby told me his story explains one part of what happened to the region as the manufacturing jobs left. Known as the Route Centre Europe Atlantique (RCEA), the expressway was conceived and promoted starting in the 1950s by business interests and elected officials who sought to create a direct link from Portugal and Spain through southwestern France across to Switzerland In the stretch between Montceau and Le Creusot, the RCEA runs alongside the canal that used to link the mines to the steel mills. Local officials have tried to rebrand the canal—built in the late eighteenth century—as a tourist site but mostly it provides the backdrop for a constant stream of traffic the RCEA and larger highway system it supports have relegated the area to a sort of in-between zone The “Coal and Steel Community,” a precursor to the European Union transformed into a broader European project underpinned by free trade and neoliberal economics became little more than pit stops for one that today is growing faster than almost any other across the continent and beyond: logistics according to CGT union representative Antoine Delorme Of some 2,800 jobs listed on Pôle Emploi for the Montceau-Le Creusot area last year more than 20 percent were in the care sector By far the most—13 percent—were in home care Nursing assistants made up another 5 percent Yet despite relatively high unemployment in the area employers had a hard time recruiting for these jobs That’s at least in part because the wages are low helping elderly and vulnerable people with their toiletry You keep them company and add a moment of intimacy to otherwise lonely days depended on it for two years as Alzheimer’s gradually robbed him of his ability to take care of himself (He now lives in a nursing home in Montceau.) It is hard to imagine how he and the rest of my family could have coped without the patient dedicated women who came to take care of him up to three times a day I had the chance to leaf through a book of testimonies by some of those women and their colleagues They highlighted many of the job’s difficulties—the uncompromising hours as well as harassment by some clients—but also its rewards It’s a refrain voiced by overburdened care workers in many countries: they know the value of their work and how much it means to those they care for Yet their employers don’t treat them accordingly Has the COVID-19 pandemic brought us any closer to revaluing their work feminized working class has a chance at the kind of stability promised by the postwar compact At the job security and the hard-fought benefits that made the long brutal hours in the mines and factories worthwhile health care workers rallied outside Montceau hospital to protest bed closures and demand more funding the story of my grandfather’s town is that of a transition from fossil fuels gone wrong and those who didn’t leave felt left behind industrial decline alone can’t be blamed for the far right’s rise it has provided fertile ground for Le Pen’s hateful narrative to take hold If Montceau continues to serve as a barometer for French politics more broadly—as it did for the second half of the twentieth century—then the country could be headed in a very perilous direction indeed It’s not hard to imagine ways to revitalize areas like Montceau Transforming the burgeoning care sector into one that pays and treats its workers fairly would be a natural place to start Training workers to retrofit homes and combat the climate crisis would be another In the absence of such ambitious public policies local officials have sought other ways to fill the gaps filling the former open-pit mines around the edges of town with water and dubbing them lakes Nearby residents are left to gaze at the water on hot summer days Colin Kinniburgh is a Brooklyn-based freelance journalist covering climate change, cities, and inequality. He also staffs the U.S. news desk at France 24 and serves on the editorial board of Dissent Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker ReutersThe French Navy vessel 'Suffren', first of the nuclear Barracuda class attack submarines, in Cherbourg, FranceArtikel auf Deutsch lesenAt the turn of the year France assumed the presidency of the Council of the European Union the EU defence ministers met informally to talk about the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) they discussed nuclear security and nuclear deterrence strategies In recent years, the French president has been a strong advocate of nuclear power. Historically, France’s independent development of nuclear technology for atomic weapons has been an important source of national pride. Since the 1990s, however, nuclear power has been declining as a consequence of the Chernobyl disaster. Annual reports by Mycle Schneider an international consultant on energy and nuclear policy show that this is a part of a global trend France continues to be a tireless advocate of this technology this means that without a cutting-edge nuclear industry France cannot continue to expand and modernise its nuclear weapons arsenal This remains true for all nuclear weapons states The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) claims that all nuclear weapons states together invest over USD 100bn a year in their nuclear weapons arsenals Russia and the United States are procuring new delivery systems – such as hypersonic missiles – that will be able to deliver their nuclear bombs much more quickly and accurately leaving the enemy with no time to defend themselves wants to join in the ongoing technological development in other nuclear weapons states for quite some time President Macron has announced investment of one billion euros in research and construction of small modular reactors (SMRs) SMRs are small nuclear reactors that are to be used primarily for submarine propulsion and thus for military purposes in distant theatres of war The new Hunter class submarines underline France’s great-power ambitions This needs to be understood against the background of the collapsed submarine deal with Australia Last year Australia announced that it was cancelling its contract to buy French diesel submarines in favour of US and UK nuclear technology Flexible submarine-based nuclear weapons systems have major strategic importance for all nuclear weapons states They have the capability of going for up to three months without surfacing They can cover great distances at high speeds undetected and surface almost wherever they want around the globe They are capable of launching up to 20 missiles each with a dozen individual guided warheads All this plays a key role in the nuclear weapons doctrine of the five ‘official’ nuclear weapons states the possession of this technology underpins these countries’ great-power status The first meeting of EU defence ministers under the French Council Presidency was held on 12–13 January 2022 in Brest. This is where France’s sea-based nuclear weapons are stationed, making this a clear demonstration of its military power. As early as his 2020 speech in Le Creusot the French President confirmed his country’s military ambitions: ‘the nuclear industry will remain the cornerstone of our strategic autonomy submarines for launching ballistic missiles and powering our nuclear aircraft carriers.’ The state has imposed the exorbitant costs of its civilian-military nuclear industry on the French public The costs of building the pressurised water reactor in Flamanville ran to €19.4bn Behind the planned modernisation of French nuclear power nestles the agenda of its nuclear weapons programme the state has imposed the exorbitant costs of its civilian-military nuclear industry on the French public The costs of building the pressurised water reactor in Flamanville electricity customers and investors subsidise military applications with ‘climate-saving nuclear power’ Nuclear power and nuclear sharing are controversial in the European Union Austria and Luxembourg have sharply criticised the EU Taxonomy there has been a multilateral UN treaty banning weapons of mass destruction since the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons of 22 January 2021 as France takes over the EU Council Presidency it is now perfectly placed to promote the civilian-military use of nuclear energy and a European security and defence strategy based on the doctrine of nuclear deterrence Angelika Claußen is Co-Chair of the German section of IPPNW (International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War / Physicians in Social Responsibility) and President of IPPNW Europe Download the IPS-Journal as an app for Android and iOS PARIS (AP) — France will build a new, nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to replace its Charles de Gaulle carrier by 2038, French President Emmanuel Macron announced Tuesday Macron framed the decision to use nuclear reactors to propel the future warship as part of France's climate strategy stressing its lower emissions compared to diesel fuel Speaking at a nuclear facility in the Burgundy town of Le Creusot he called France's nuclear weapons and atomic energy industry "the cornerstone of our strategic autonomy," and said the nuclear sector plays a role in France's "status as a great power." One of his advisers noted that having an aircraft carrier also helps France project its global influence Only a few countries in the world maintain the huge The new French aircraft carrier will be about 70,000 tons and 300 meters long roughly 1.5 times the size of the Charles de Gaulle which has been deployed for international military operations in Iraq and Syria in recent years and the ship will be designed to accommodate next-generation warplanes and serve until around 2080 They didn't provide a price tag but French media estimate it will cost around 7 billion euros ($8.5 billion) Macron also pledged 500 million euros in investment in the nuclear industry and a separate fund to modernize it and promised "progress" on the persistent problem of how to permanently get rid of nuclear waste Nuclear reactors provide the majority of France's electricity but many reactors are aging and delays have dogged new-generation reactors who is co-hosting a global video summit on Saturday to mark the fifth anniversary of the Paris climate accord said France also must do more to develop wind 2020A Rafale fighter jet takes off from the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle sailing in the Mediterranean Sea in 2016 French President Emmanuel Macron in December 2020 kicked off the race to build a successor ship (Eric Feferberg/AFP via Getty Images)PARIS – French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Dec 8 that his country’s next aircraft-carrier will be nuclear-powered and should be operational by 2038 in time to replace the Charles de Gaulle The new aircraft carrier is expected to be the biggest warship France has ever built would be designed to deploy the future combat aircraft system (FCAS) and today her ministry confirmed that the vessel would deploy about 30 of these aircraft “which will be bigger than the Rafales.” The ministry said the ship would be in the 75,000 tonne class (82,673 tons) be around 300 meters long (984 feet) and be able to sail at 27 knots (31 mph) even bigger than the second aircraft carrier that Naval Group was working on in the early 2000s until that program was shelved by the government for lack of money the Charles de Gaulle is 261m (856 feet) long and weighs 42,000 tonnes (46,297 tons) fully loaded The new ship will have a crew of about 2,000 France’s principal nuclear-power company headquartered at Le Creusot in the centre of France Macron announced just four minutes before the end of his 28 minute speech that he had “decided that the future aircraft-carrier which will serve our country and our navy will It will have two K22 power generators each generating 220 megawatts (hence the 22) derived from the K15 (that generate 150 MW each) that currently power the Charles de Gaulle Naval Group, which is the prime contractor for these major ship-building projects, immediately issued a statement hailing the decision, pledging to work with its major industrial partners Chantiers de l’Atlantique, TechnicAtome and Dassault Aviation. Pierre Eric Pommellet, chairman and CEO of Naval Group, said, “We are delighted with the announcement (…) which will enable France to maintain its position in the very restricted circle of major powers holding a nuclear aircraft carrier.” Echoing what Macron had said in his speech, Pommellet stressed the importance of projects like this to “ensure the continuity of our skills” and of developing innovative solutions “in the fields of propulsion and high added-value military systems, thus maintaining France’s technological lead and its position as a key geostrategic player.” Now that the nuclear option has been chosen to power France’s new aircraft carrier, other major decisions will have to be taken, notably concerning the catapults which are a vital part of the project. France has no expertise in this highly specialized technology and so will have to import the catapults from the United States, as it has done for the past 60 years. Those on the Charles de Gaulle are steam-powered, but those on the new aircraft carrier will be electromagnetic. Christina Mackenzie was the France correspondent for Defense News. Facebook pageTwitter feedRSS feedDefense News © 2025 The French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) requires utility EDF to examine the manufacturing records of all components produced by the facility that are in use at its operating nuclear power plants EDF must submit the results of this review no later than two months before the restart of each of its reactors following scheduled refuelling outages Framatome said today a total of 1925 records had been analysed and so far none of the deviations examined questions the serviceability of components supplied to EDF It added that summary reports for all French reactors will be submitted to ASN by September "Further to examination by ASN of the reports submitted to date the French safety authority has given its consent for the restart of 31 reactors," it noted executive vice president of Framatome's component manufacturing business Unit and the attention to detail displayed by the Framatome teams and with keen consideration for nuclear fleet operating challenges by our customer EDF." The forge was taken out of operation in December 2015 Framatome received approval from ASN and EDF in January to resume the manufacture of forgings for the French nuclear fleet at its Le Creusot site The decision enabled Le Creusot to continue ramping up its production with a target of 80 ingots per year "The Framatome Le Creusot site will provide the main forged components for nuclear new build projects internationally as well as parts for replacement components to equip French reactors," Framatome said "Supported by the implementation of the improvement plan launched over two years ago the site is now able to execute this workload with safety and quality being the top priorities along with the strengthening of teams and skills and investments in the production equipment." The company said the Le Creusot site - which currently has 230 employees - recruited 28 people in 2017 and will add a further 40 this year Following investments already made at the site - including EUR7.5 million (USD8.7 million) last year - an EUR11.0 million investment plan is under way for 2018 "This equates to a total of 35 projects covering all sectors of the plant improvement of quenching process equipment and reliability improvements to the 11,300-tonne press," Framatome said "With its Factory of the Future project Framatome is equipping the site with digital applications to make data acquisition more reliable and to improve traceability during forging operations," the company said teams are working on an R&D programme to develop new technical forging processes." ASN introduced stricter measures for monitoring the production of components as a response to irregularities found in paperwork at the Creusot Forge Licensees and manufacturers have until 1 September to implement them France — On the eve of the Tour de France’s first Alpine stage the standings were given a serious shakeup After the longest stage on the Tour in 21 years on Friday 2020 runner-up Primoz Roglic was out of contention lost a big chunk of the time he gained earlier this week in the individual time trial And Belgian star Wout van Aert positioned himself as Pogacar’s most dangerous rival the 249-kilometer (155-mile) Stage 7 from Vierzon to Le Creusot produced a Tour de France classic as another Slovenian earned his first stage win on the Tour following a long breakaway Mohoric was part of a group that formed more than 200 kilometers before the finish line using a tough climb to drop his remaining breakaway companions and reach the finish line alone Mathieu van der Poel looked exhausted when he crossed 1 minute 40 seconds behind but he kept the yellow jersey with a 30-second advantage over Van Aert “It was 250 kilometers full gas,” Van der Poel said “It went really fast and we managed to break away with a really strong group Pogacar could not get into the breakaway and rode at the back with other top contenders after his UAE Team Emirates reacted too late and could not bridge the gap Pogacar lost more than five minutes and dropped to fifth overall “We tried to close really fast … but they were pulling like crazy from the beginning” Pogacar said Despite big efforts deployed throughout the day by his teammates to limit the damage Pogacar remained confident they will recover in time for Saturday’s first Alpine stage to Le Grand-Bornand “I know my team and I know they are strong,” he said He managed to get to the finish with a deficit exceeding nine minutes and his hopes of winning the three-week race were effectively over Roglic will likely abandon the Jumbo-Visma leadership and work in support of Van Aert While Van der Poel is expected to struggle in the high mountains Van Aert has proved in the past he can climb with the best His phenomenal turns in the big climbs during last year’s race were crucial to lifting Roglic onto the podium Van Aert is also an excellent time trialist and should have a shot at the yellow jersey despite his claims he is “too heavy” to perform well in the mountains “But for now I’m still in a good position and it’s nice to give it a go like this,” he said I first need to recover and see what I can do tomorrow when the real mountain starts.” has stage wins now at all three Grand Tours He seized the best climber’s polka-dot jersey “The stage I won in the Vuelta was also the longest stage in the race that year and the same goes for the stage in the Giro,” he said I can keep up with a good pace for a very long time.” The strong headwind made it difficult for riders to jump out of the pack in the early stages a group of 29 including Van der Poel and Van Aert managed to get away Pogacar’s UAE Team Emirates teammates were caught off guard When they finally moved to the front of the peloton to organize the chase They tried to set up a sustained tempo but were left to do all of the work as rival teams did not move The leading group collaborated well and quickly built a one-minute lead Van der Poel took long turns at the front of a bunch which included former Grand Tours champions Vincenzo Nibali and Simon Yates and 10 former Tour stage winners They rode at an impressive average speed of more than 51 kph in the first hour of racing and the time gap gradually increased to reach more than 6:30 with 90 kilometers left the peloton upped the pace with more teams working at the front The gap started to decrease when Mohoric and Brent Van Moer dropped their breakaway companions the pair created a consistent gap as previously effective cooperation in the group including Van Aert and Van der Poel made way for a series of disorganized attacks Mohoric went solo in the tough climb of the Signal d’Uchon an ascent with an average gradient of 11.5% in its last 1,500 meters The Slovenian rider crossed first at the top and prolonged his impressive effort until the finish line Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible Get the day’s top sports headlines and breaking news delivered to your inbox by subscribing here © Copyright 2025, The Spokesman-Review | Community Guidelines | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy The two new tunnel boring machines (TBMs) that will build the new Northern line extension tunnels have now successfully passed the Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) Built by NFM Technologies in Le Creusot in central France will now be dismantled and transported to Battersea Station to be launched early next year They will then be reassembled on site ready to start powering their way under south London Once each TBM starts their 2.5km journey Each TBM is over 100m long with a cutting head of 6m in diameter undertaking two individual drives to construct the tunnels nearly 20,000 pre-cast concrete tunnel lining segments will be erected in rings The tunnelling will see over 300,000 tonnes of material excavated which will be passed along conveyors and directly loaded on to barges to make the journey along the Thames to Goshems Farm in East Tilbury It is estimated that transporting by river will remove over 40,000 lorry journeys from the Capital’s busy roads reducing risks for cyclists and pedestrians and also significantly reducing the site’s carbon footprint which is being funded entirely through the private sector will see the Northern line extended from Kennington Station to Battersea via Nine Elms creating two new stations: one at the heart of the Battersea Power Station redevelopment and another at Nine Elms to the east of Battersea at the central point of the drive The extension will serve new developments such as the US Embassy and the redevelopment of New Covent Garden Market HEAD OF EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION AND INSTITUTIONAL RELATIONS EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA RELATIONS HEAD OF US CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS AND BRAND Ferrovial a global infrastructure developer and operator was recognized for excellence and innovation in public private partnerships through its 66 Express project in the US and Ontario Line South Civil.. Tunnelling of the new public transport focused river crossing at Silvertown is now underway Transport for London TfL and Riverlinx have confirmed The 1 4km Silvertown Tunnel will link Newham.. The joint venture JV of Ferrovial Construction and Laing O Rourke on the central section of the Tideway project has scooped three awards at the New Civil Engineer Tunnelling Festival.. Can try another term or browse the main menu to find what you are looking for SHIPPINGPORT -- An advocacy group opposed to nuclear energy is calling for the shutdown of the Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Station amid fears of potentially defective parts from a French company group “working for a world free from nuclear power and nuclear weapons,” has called for the closing after concerns surfaced regarding a French company that supplied parts to 17 domestic nuclear power plants is under fire for “potentially defective safety-related components and potentially falsified … documentation” coming from its Le Creusot Forge facility Beyond Nuclear said it is “impossible to guarantee the reliability and quality of reactor components if the content of quality control and quality assurance documents cannot be verified and trusted.” Areva is under investigation from France’s nuclear watchdog agency called the Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire according to the domestic Nuclear Regulatory Commission The NRC also said it is reviewing a petition submitted by Beyond Nuclear that calls for the shutdown of the affected plants FirstEnergy spokeswoman Jennifer Young confirmed Wednesday that Beaver Valley Unit 1 does have parts that were manufactured at the Areva facility in France Those parts are located in the replacement reactor head and steam generators at Beaver Valley Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesman Neil Sheehan confirmed that Unit 2 at Beaver Valley “has components made at the forge but (FirstEnergy) has decided to delay their installation for at least a few years.” Sheehan said the NRC is investigating the matter but sufficient evidence does not exist to warrant further action “Because there are no immediate safety concerns there is no justification for the NRC to order plants to shut down and inspect components as some groups have suggested,” Sheehan said “Should new information raise a specific safety concern Young said Beaver Valley Unit 1 has been using parts from the France forge for more than a decade and the company has not been notified of any potential concerns from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission “We have not been notified that any components at Beaver Valley associated with the Creusot Forge are affected by safety technical or quality challenges,” Young said “We will take appropriate actions if they are recommended in the future.” Young said the plant’s rigorous and thorough testing and inspection protocols “are designed to identify any material issues well before safety is challenged.” Sheehan said the NRC is in frequent contact with Areva officials and the agency is “prepared to take action should ongoing reviews identify any issues warranting immediate attention.” Evidence of doctored paperwork found at Areva-owned forge An international team of inspectors has found evidence of doctored paperwork and other failings at a forge in France that makes parts for nuclear power stations around the world The UK nuclear regulator said the safety culture at the site which has produced forgings for British plants including Sizewell B and the planned new reactors at Hinkley Point Last December regulators from the UK, US, China, Finland and Canada visited the Creusot forge run by the French state-owned nuclear builder Areva, to address their concerns after the country’s regulator ASN discovered quality-control problems and falsification of records in 2014. Read moreA report of the inspection by the UK’s Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) obtained via a freedom of information request concluded the improvement measures ordered by ASN were not yet effective The visit uncovered an example of an employee at the forge “amending a manufacturing record in an uncontrolled manner” as recently as September 2016 two years after similar problems were uncovered The doctoring went undetected by Areva’s on-site quality control Areva’s independent third-party body and inspectors from EDF The international inspectors also discovered the use of correctional fluid – like Tipp-Ex – at the forge’s operational control room where a manager told the inspection team she regularly searched workstations for it Experts said the report was worrying and would damage Areva. Paul Dorfman of the Energy Institute at University College London said: “Given nuclear regulation is all about safety this kind of language is extraordinarily damaging coming Areva is already suffering serious financial problems The company recently reported a €665m (£575m) net loss for 2016 though that is smaller than the €2bn net loss it posted in 2015 The ONR said there was a greater quality control presence “on the shop floor” of the Creusot and much of the top management had been replaced since ASN told it to improve But it said the international team of inspectors “were not confident that the improvement programmes and associated remedial actions … were sufficiently resourced prioritised and integrated in order to bring about sustained improvements in manufacturing performance and nuclear safety culture” The report said the UK regulator should reflect on whether EDF’s oversight of Areva was up to scratch, given it is a key supplier to the Hinkley Point C power station that EDF is building in Somerset The ONR told the Guardian that since the visit to Creusot it had put in place plans to ensure any forgings destined for UK reactors A spokeswoman said: “Since this multinational inspection ONR has developed its intervention plans to ensure that the licensee has in place and implements adequate management and assurance arrangements to clearly demonstrate that all components are manufactured to the required standards “These plans will include a series of targeted inspections and other assessments of both the licensee and the supply chain specification of appropriate regulatory hold-points and a targeted regulatory review at an appropriate time in the next year to assess the progress and performance of both the licensees oversight and assurance activities and the expected improvements within the supply chain.” A spokesman for EDF said: “Steel forgings for Hinkley Point C will be manufactured to the most stringent nuclear standards which are reviewed and assessed by the independent UK regulator EDF Energy also has its own inspection and quality assurance programme to provide the required confidence that the components manufactured by Areva for Hinkley Point C meet those exacting standards.” 8 December 2020 – The French Navy next-generation aircraft carrier (PANG Porte Avion Nouvelle Generation) will have a nuclear propulsion This is why I have decided that the future aircraft carrier that will equip our country and our Navy will be which for a long time has been producing essential parts for our Navy several major components of the nuclear boiler of the future aircraft carrier […] By these choices we confirm France’s desire to preserve its strategic autonomy” Macron said during today visit on the Framatome company’s site of Creusot (Saône-et-Loire) accompanied by the Minister of Economy Bruno Le Maire the Minister of Ecological Transition Barbara Pompili and the Minister of the Armed Forces According to information released by both the French MoD and the TechnicAtome which will have a displacement of some 75,000 tonnes will be equipped by two K22 nuclear reactors providing a maximum speed of 27 knots The K22 nuclear reactor is a derivative of the K15 which currently powers the Charles de Gaulle The nuclear propulsion choice closes the PANG study phase According to information released by the Ministry of the Armed Forces the design phase will last until 2025 the PANG will reach its full operational capability in 2038 The design phase will have a cost of around 900 million Euro the 2021 investment being of 117 million Euro “this project being worth some billion Euros” being the only available information The choice of a nuclear power plant ensures a greater autonomy at sea as well as a greater availability of the ship who will need major overhauls every 10 years rather than 7-8 years typical of conventionally powered naval units the PANG will be fitted with electromagnetic catapults (EMALS) of US origin while her carrier air wing will be centered on around 30 SCAF next-generation combat aircraft Pictorial courtesy French Ministry of the Armed Forces Indo Defence – Jakarta – 11-14 June DSEI – London – 9-12 September PARTNER – Belgrade – 23-26 September Seafuture – La Spezia – 29 Sept.-2 October ADEX – Seoul – 29 October-2 November Dubai Air Show – Dubai – 17-21 November Milipol Paris – Paris – 18-21 Novenber Expodefensa – Bogotá – 1-3 December Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" 16 Mar (NucNet): The UK’s nuclear regulator has identified five key areas of supply chain management where improvements are needed ahead of acceleration in both construction and manufacturing for the Hinkley Point C EPR project in Somerset The Office for Nuclear Regulation has rated an overall inspection finding as ‘amber’ This means that some arrangements are below standard and the ONR is seeking improvements.The five key areas include issues such as improvement programmes self-assessment and quality assurance.The ONR said the inspection of the supply chain for Hinkley Point C was instigated in the context of the records falsification issues that emerged in 2016 at Areva’s Le Creusot forge facility is a supplier of key components to the Hinkley Point C project The falsification issues became apparent after the French nuclear safety regulator confirmed that major technical and organisational shortcomings had occurred at the Le Creusot.The ONR said good progress has been made by site licensee NNB GenCo and Le Creusot in rolling out an improvement programme including improved manufacturing processes management system arrangements and safety and quality culture.EDF Energy is building two 1,600-MW EPR units at Hinkley Point C which are expected to provide 7% of Britain’s electricity needs when fully operational the project is expected to cost £19.6bn 'I’m not necessarily always the strongest' UAE Team Emirates rider said about long day his squad had managed to lighten the damage inflicted by a 29-rider break on a very complicated day The 22-year-old admitted that the squad had made a mistake by letting so many riders go although he partly put that down to bad luck His feelings about the overall outcome of the day were mixed as well He was delighted for fellow Slovenian Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious) and had sympathy for arch-rival and compatriot Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) who lost almost all options of winning this year’s Tour de France Pogačar was also relatively philosophical about riders with potential GC aspirations like Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) and Vincenzo Nibali (Trek-Segafredo) regaining time successfully limited the break’s advantage “because we couldn’t let them gain ten minutes.” Van der Poel and Van Aert crossed the line 1:40 behind Mohorič Pogačar has now fallen to 3:43 overall in fifth place far more than the eight-second disadvantage he had on Van der Poel just 24 hours earlier the next two days in the Alps should also provide a major shake up of the GC as well and a real evaluation of the three days of hilly and mountain racing can only be taken on Sunday evening “We tried to close the gap really fast but we saw it was going like crazy from the beginning The group snapped in half and it was a really unlucky moment,” he told reporters afterwards.  “We knew it would be a tough stage and we made a little mistake But we started to pull together and the team did fantastic job He recognised that UAE Team Emirates had burned more than a few matches in what was a day-long pursuit on the longest stage of the Tour in 21 years.  “But I know the team and they are strong We’ll take it day by day and try and get through For sure all of the teams were suffering in the heat today Pogačar had a day where there were some narrow squeaks but where UAE Team Emirates strategy for the stage finally paid off albeit with some wobbles on all the key fronts.  Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers) launched a gutsy solo attack over the toughest ascent of the day but rather than gain time he was brought back by the finish in part thanks to some hard work from Movistar Both Van Aert and and Van der Poel gained time but not as much as was potentially feared “We were told by the other teams we had to work because I was the strongest but I’m not necessarily always the strongest The others can win too,” Pogačar commented “We needed to limit the gap and I think we did that well We couldn’t let them get ten minutes because that would have been dangerous.” Slovenian cycling had a stage where the glass was truly half empty or half full An injured Roglič lost almost all options of fighting for victory in the 2021 race as he was dropped in the finale claimed a stunning win that finally laid memories of his appalling crash in this year’s Giro d’Italia to rest “I don’t know what to say about Primoz I have mixed feelings I guess,” Pogačar commented When I heard he’d won I was super happy as if he was one of our own “Of course I’m not so not so happy for Roglič The way he went down [in defeat] for sure he suffered a lot.” Regarding his options in the upcoming two Alpine stages some pundits have regarded his unwillingness or inability to follow Carapaz when he attacked as a potential chink in his armour But Pogačar said simply he will be gauging his stage on how he feels on Saturday morning before racing begins “Today was also a very demanding day For sure I’ll pay for that a bit this weekend,” he observed “So maybe I’ll just be following wheels and seeing how it goes Now we have another strong guy ahead [Van Aert] to follow too.”  And if Friday was an appetiser for the climbs by Sunday a lot more cards will be placed face upwards on the table for Pogačar and the rest Alasdair FotheringhamSocial Links NavigationAlasdair Fotheringham has been reporting on cycling since 1991 He has covered every Tour de France since 1992 bar one as well as numerous other bike races of all shapes and sizes ranging from the Olympic Games in 2008 to the now sadly defunct Subida a Urkiola hill climb in Spain he has also written for The Independent,  The Guardian,  ProCycling The 108th Tour de France will feature a groundbreaking route with a double serving of double trouble Contenders for the overall victory will have to be on high alert from the get-go lest they choke on the two climbs up the Mûr-de-Bretagne which will be tackled from a different side in the stage 2 finale they will have to make another show of strength on the slopes of the Mont Ventoux which is making its first double appearance in a stage will be tackled from two different sides before plunging down to Malaucène the riders will have already faced new challenges including four stages in the four departments that make up Brittany —from Brest to Fougères— riddled with hazards such as coastal winds and the hills of the Armorican Massif will decide the stage to Le Creusot in its first appearance in the race.   The return of the first-week individual time trial will provide an early indication of the pecking order which the climbers will do their best to shake up in the two gruelling Alpine stages finishing in Le Grand Bornand and on the heights of Tignes the Pyrenees will dispel any remaining doubts in five action-packed duels in the high mountains spectacular Col de Saint-Louis on the road to Quillan with absolute classics like the Peyresourde – Val Louron-Azet – Col du Portet and Tourmalet – Luz Ardiden sequences It will be do or die for the kings of the mountains who will have to grab every second they can if they are to fend off the toughest power riders in the 31 km romp through the vineyards of Saint-Émilion on the eve of the finish on the Champs-Élysées While the destiny of the yellow jersey will probably be decided in south-western France the fight for the green jersey will take place all over the country with no fewer than seven stages likely to fall to the sprinters as long as their teammates can keep any breakaways on a tight leash Stage hunters will also get numerous opportunities to thwart the peloton France and Principality of Andorra will be on the menu of the 108th edition of the Tour 9 regions and 31 departments will be visited there will be two individual timetrial stages which hadn’t occurred since 2017 27 kms between Changé and Laval Espace Mayenne on stage 5 and 31 kms between Libourne and Saint-Émilion on the occasion of stage 20 10 new stage cities or sites sites will appear on the map of the 2021 Tour on a total of 39: The Armorican mountains will get the ball rolling as soon as the Grand Départ in Brittany the Alps and the Pyrenees.There will also be a first ever climb in the Morvan They will distributed at the finish of each normal stage allowing the first three riders to gain 10 They will be given at the summits of the 6 following climbs situated at strategic places of the course and will allow the first three riders to gain 8 5 and 2 seconds (under the approval of theUnion cycliste internationale) These bonus points will have no incidence on the points classification Created by Beneš & Michl the Tour de France will start from the Brittany region home of our two riders David Gaudu and Valentin Madouas for 4 stages dedicated to punchers and sprinters the riders will set off for a first individual time-trial in direction of Laval 3 383 kilometers will have to be covered from the departure in Brest to the arrival on the Champs-Elysées in Paris After a highly successful Giro d’Italia in 2020 with 4 stage wins in addition to a cyclamen jersey Arnaud Démare and his train are back to the Tour de France 3 years after having participate for the last time in 2018 With 8 flat stages which arrivals can be massive sprints Arnaud Démare and his train have only one goal in mind