EDF Places €1.5 Billion Steam Generator Order

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Energy giant Electricite de France (EPA:EDF) (Paris) has placed one of the largest energy orders in French history by ordering 44 replacement steam generators worth €1.5 billion ($2 billion) for its nuclear plants.

The generators will be supplied by Areva SA (EPA:CEI) (Paris, France) and Westinghouse Electric Company LLC (Monroeville, Pennsylvania) and will be used to replace old generators at the company's fleet of nuclear power plants. Areva has been contracted to supply 32 of the generators with a value of €1.1 billion ($1.5 billion), while Westinghouse will supply the other 12, valued at €400 million ($545 million).

France is Europe's biggest user of nuclear power, with EDF controlling 58 reactors that supply more than 75% of the nation's electricity.

"We are making the resources available for sustainable investment in highly proficient industrial facilities and innovative expertise," explained Henri Proglio, Chairman and CEO of EDF. "This order also marks a new phase in the partnership between EDF and Areva, by securing long-term employment in France, particularly in Areva's plants in Burgundy.″

The steam generators will be installed in EDF plants using the 1,300 megawatt (MW) reactor series, and form a key part of its overall replacement plan for major components. The steam generators weigh in at approximately 438 tonnes each and have an interior circuit consisting of 122 kilometres (km) of tubes for the production of steam, which is then used to generate electricity in a large turbine.

All the steam generator tubes will be manufactured in France (Montbard), while the steam generators supplied by Areva will, for the most part, be forged and assembled at Le Creusot and Chalon-sur-Saône. These steam generators will be installed in the plants from 2017 onwards.

According to EDF's schedule, Areva will supply 16 steam generators in July 2016, eight in January 2017 and a further eight in January 2018.

Yves Brachet, Westinghouse vice president and managing director, France, Benelux and South Africa commented: "The signing of this contract is the fulfilment of the hard work performed over the past few years in developing our activities and products in accordance with EDF's needs and French regulatory requirements".

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