Why Anne Lauvergeon Stayed at Areva

Fukushima confirms that when it comes to safety, you can't negotiate. The nuclear industry's responsibility is to be transparent. Given the catastrophe, this requirement will grow even more.

I've always advocated the most rigorous standards and secure technology. When I became CEO of Cogema in 1999, people told me it was professional suicide to join the nuclear industry. The French mainstream believed nuclear had no future. Oil prices were low, but we still needed domestic sources of energy. I pushed for Cogema to merge with Frama-tome. My friends told me to forget about trying to bring these companies together and to worry about my own career. But I felt we could be stronger as one company. In 2001 we became Areva.