Is the head of AREVA being replaced?

regardless, i didn't know reactor construction was so easy.

Areva's Workers Prepare For Shake-Up as CEO Exits

The last decade has seen a tug-of-war between Ms. Lauvergeon, the government and the heads of several French utilities over how to finance and organize the country's nuclear industry. Under pressure from increased competition to create a simplified French nuclear offering, the government recently decided EDF should oversee the export of France's atomic know-how abroad, a decision Ms. Lauvergeon resisted.

Nevertheless, now that Ms. Lauvergeon is leaving "it is very likely that a shake-up will happen at Areva," said Pierre-Louis Brenac, an energy consultant at SIA Conseil in France. "EDF will increasingly take a leading role in promoting the French nuclear industry."

A person close to the French Industry Ministry said that while nothing would likely happen in the short term as Mr. Oursel settles into his new job, "Areva's business model will have to change; its core business could also change."

Following the crisis in Japan, Areva is under pressure to convince utilities and governments its reactors are safer and more efficient than those of competitors. How this plays out could help determine the success of the engineering company in the long run.