French Reflections After a 2-year Life Inside UniStar

So – what’s it like for an EDF employee to work at UniStar? Let me start at the beginning….

In 2008, my motivation for accepting an assignment at UniStar was to have a professional experience in the U.S., and to examine two

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sides of the U.S. nuclear industry, i.e. the utility side and the regulatory side. I also wanted to compare the U.S. nuclear world with the French and European environment that I was familiar with, and initiate a potential synthesis of both safety approaches. Being involved at the earliest stages of U.S. EPR™ technology deployment was also a motivation. How exciting to bring what we had learned about the EPR design to UniStar.

Now for the reality. One of my biggest surprises at UniStar is the very positive relationship between the French and American colleagues. It went way beyond my expectations. Each side was very interested in discovering each other’s culture, background working history – differences as well as similarities. Both the U.S. and French colleagues created a very good professional and motivated atmosphere, and I think that UniStar has a great future in the nuclear business. Thanks to my UniStar colleagues, I was involved in the initial discussions with the NRC, and was designated to be the chairman of the U.S. EPR Design Centered Working Group (DCWG). This organization, formed in response to NRC policy, is comprised of UniStar, PPL, AREVA and any applicant referencing the U.S. EPR. The purpose of a DCWG is to provide a forum for the members to reach consensus on common regulatory issues and to provide unified positions to the NRC. This is an experience I will never forget, and I have a lot of ideas to bring back to the French and European nuclear industry.

Back in France, I am now supporting all international EPR activities in which EDF is involved. I will continue to do my best to keep improving the success of EDF and UniStar in any way I can. I sincerely hope that my UniStar experience was just the beginning of a very long relationship between French and U.S. companies and professional colleagues building and operating a large fleet of new nuclear energy facilities.