French energy groups EDF and Areva said Tuesday they have signed a memorandum of understanding with Chinese counterpart CGNPC to jointly develop a new medium power nuclear reactor, confirming a report in the financial daily Les Echos.

The report said that the three companies had completed an MoU to develop a 1,000 megawatt Generation III reactor, which spokespeople for EDF and Areva subsequently confirmed.

"This is the first step in the development of a new 1,000 megawatt reactor that would be common to EDF, CGNPC and Areva," an EDF spokesperson said, while emphasising that this was only the start of a long process that would include a decision on which kind of nuclear reactor to develop.

An Areva spokesperson said: "It is a question of working on the reactor's specifications, to see if there is any possibility of a combination with the Atmea reactor" that Areva has already designed with its Japanese partner MHI.

Cooperation between China and France in the nuclear field has increased since a new centre-left French government took office in May.

fpo/wai/rl

EDF

AREVA