Spain's ENSA Named as GE-Hitachi's Key Supplier of Reactor Pressure Vessels

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Industrial machinery supplier Equipos Nucleares SA (ENSA) (Madrid, Spain) has signed a supply agreement with GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy (Wilmington, North Carolina) to fabricate reactor pressure vessels (RPV) for new nuclear power projects undertaken by GE-Hitachi. In a nuclear plant, the reactor core and the coolant are housed in the RPV.

The companies will work on RPVs for the economic simplified boiling water reactor (ESBWR) and the advanced boiling water reactor (ABWR) power plants. GE-Hitachi specializes in supplying customers with the design and technology of both the ESBWR and the ABWR reactor, while ENSA manufactures heavy components for industrial facilities and nuclear plants. ENSA also supplies components for nuclear steam supply systems. The company has a manufacturing unit in Maliano in the Cantabria province of northern Spain.

Danny Roderick, GE-Hitachi's Senior Vice President for Nuclear Power Projects, said the company is pleased to work with ENSA, as it will strengthen the company's supply chain. The association will enable GE-Hitachi to tackle the growing demand for nuclear power. Francisco Ballesteros, President and CEO of ENSA, said the agreement would enhance ENSA's leading position in the world, both as a supplier of high-quality components and as a company that prioritizes schedule compliance.

To ensure the delivery of high-quality components, ENSA uses highly developed fabrication techniques that include the use of automatic processes and robotics. The company has finalized the equipment and facilities that will be required to fabricate the two types of RPVs required by GE-Hitachi. ENSA is currently upgrading its manufacturing units to facilitate the delivery of the large components. It is increasing the testing capacity of its radiographic equipment from 8 million electron volts to 9 million electron volts, and the capacity of its cranes from 900 tons to 1,300 tons.

As of September 2008, GE-Hitachi was selected as the technology provider for five proposed reactor projects. One of these is an ABWR project -- units 1 and 2 of the Victoria County Station -- to be developed in Victoria County, Texas, by Exelon Nuclear Texas Holdings LLC (Kennett Square, Pennsylvania). The ESBWR projects are Unit 3 of the River Bend Station to be developed near St. Francisville, Louisiana, and Unit 3 of the Grand Gulf in Claiborne County, Mississippi, to be developed by Entergy Operations Incorporated (Jackson, Mississippi); Unit 3 of North Anna in Louisa County, Virginia, to be developed by Dominion Virginia Power, a division of Dominion Resource (NYSE:D) (Richmond, Virginia); and Unit 3 of Fermi to be developed in Monroe County, Michigan, by Detroit Edison Company (NYSE:DTE) (Detroit, Michigan).

In February, ENSA procured the first of six forgings required to assemble an ESBWR RPV from Japan Steel Works Limited (TYO:5631) (Hokkaido, Japan). The RPV is scheduled for completion by mid-2012. The ESBWR is a Generation III+ reactor design that is being reviewed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (Washington, D.C.).

The design of GE-Hitachi's ESBWR is expected to improve safety and security. It has a broad seismic design envelope and enhanced operational flexibility, and is expected to provide better economics. The reactor uses natural circulation in lieu of the forced circulation used in earlier boiling water reactors, which effectively eliminates the need for circulation pumps and associated motors, heat exchangers, electrical support systems, and all the other related equipment.

However, with the deployment of the ESBWR, GE-Hitachi does not intend to discontinue its association with the ABWR technology. In December 2008, GE-Hitachi informed the commission that it would extend its design certification for the ABWR by another 15 years after 2012. At present, the ABWR is the only Generation III advanced reactor design that has proven operating experience.

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