BOISE, ID. – The CEO of the French energy company Areva announced this morning its uranium enrichment plant near Idaho Falls is on hold. CEO Luc Oursel says Areva has been hit by financial problems that will affect the Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility and others worldwide.
But Idaho Governor Butch Otter disagrees with the news that the project was suspended. He says, “The assurances that I got from the folks over there when I called them said that’s not the case that the headline is totally misleading.”
Areva officials in the U.S. agree with Otter. Michael French is a spokesman for Eagle Rock. He says, “There’s no hold on the project. There could be some impact depending on the timing of beginning of construction, but beyond that the project will move forward.” French adds there are some “significant” capital requirement issues the company must deal with, but design work and pre-construction planning on Eagle Rock continues. The project received a license two months ago from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
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