The EDF has decided to implement at Flamanville Manche

Except for coup de theatre, the Board of Areva formalize Thursday morning the renewal of Anne Lauvergeon at the head of the company. A scenario that Thierry Breton entourage hesitate to characterize as "highly probable", while the Minister of the economy appeared to be fairly unforgiving. Sure work by 2011, a date which will end its new mandate of President of the Executive Board, the former sherpa of François Mitterrand. The roadmap has in any case was clearly drawn by the State shareholder, who asked her to "concentrate on its core business": nuclear power.

Two EPR to be built in time. It is probably the priority issue for the next five years. If all goes as planned, the second term of Anne Lauvergeon will end one year before the entry into service of a first EPR reactor on French territory. The EDF has decided to implement at Flamanville (Manche). But, previously, the world leader in nuclear power must demonstrate its ability to maintain schedules, ending at the time the construction of the Finnish reactor. On paper, it should be completed in 2009. Today, the site was nine months of delay.

A presence to strengthen China. This is still three months, Areva thought having to draw a line under the "contract of the century": this famous tender Chinese, on four third generation reactors. After several trips to China, its President feels today "back in the game." By necessarily to sell its EPR technology, but to attend on-site duplication of existing plants, and to forge with Beijing a "global partnership" in the nuclear field, from the extraction of uranium fuel processing, through the construction of reactors.

The United States, a market to conquer. Strong positions acquired transatlantic services reactors (a niche to help operators to extend the life of their plants), Areva hopes to benefit in full of the new American nuclear program. Through alliance tied with the Constellation electrician, the French group hopes to build at least 4 EPR in the next decade. If all goes well, the first of them could be put into service in 2015.

A mining strategy to define. The constitution of a major mining pole under the aegis of Areva would have a meaning These past months, the issue was much agitated political, industrial and banking, with backdrop of the eventual reconstruction of the capital of Eramet, the nuclear group has a little more than 26. Too much or too little in the eyes of Anne Lauvergeon, who did not exclude to take control of the company, to add nickel and manganese to its mining palette. The Government does not heard him thus. For some time at least, Areva will have to simply extract uranium: its objective is to double its production by 2010.

Likely to evolve perimeter. If the renewal of Anne Lauvergeon rewards the route carried out since the creation of Areva, in 2001, it does not necessarily mean that the recomposition of the nuclear sector is complete. Sooner or later, the ambitions of the Alstom group and its new partner, Bouygues, could be taken into account by the State, which would open the door to a redistribution of the cards between Areva and German Siemens these two players. Each hopes to remain a privileged interlocutor of EDF, to participate in the renewal of French nuclear power plants.

The opening of the capital back to the order of the day. And if Anne Lauvergeon was its purpose It is one of the consequences of his renewal of mandate, and not least: renewed at the head of the nuclear group, it may be that which complete its privatization. By postponing indefinitely the opening of the capital of Areva, the Prime Minister had simply indicated that the operation would not be initiated by his Government. After 2007, nothing prevents to think that the topic again today.