OREANDA-NEWS. July 16, 2013. Developed jointly by AREVA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), the ATMEA1 reactor has passed the first stage in the pre-certification process carried out by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), which has validated the objectives and global safety options of the reactor by comparing them with the regulatory requirements for the construction of new nuclear plants. The second and third stages will consist in performing an in-depth analysis of the reactor design in order to ensure that the certification process begins under the best possible conditions.

The third-generation ATMEA1 technology has advanced safety and security systems similar to those of the EPR: resistance to aircraft crashes and earthquakes, the latest-generation instrumentation & control, a core catcher and three independent safety trains. These features meet the most recent international rules and recommendations, including post-Fukushima requirements.

In 2012, the French Nuclear Safety Authority (Autorite de surete nucleaire - ASN) confirmed that the ATMEA1 reactor met the defined safety criteria for this generation of reactors.

Selected for the Sinop site in Turkey and pre-selected in Jordan, Brazil and Argentina, the ATMEA1 reactor now has good commercial prospects worldwide. 

" Safety authorities’ recognition of ATMEA1 safety options proves the relevance of AREVA and MHI’s decisions in this field ", declared Claude Jaouen, Senior Executive Vice President of AREVA Reactors & Services Business Group.