Westinghouse to Upgrade I&C Systems at Sweden's Forsmark Nuclear Plant

Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Westinghouse Electric Company LLC (Monroeville, Pennsylvania) has secured a contract to upgrade the non-safety related information and control (I&C) systems at Units 1 and 2 of the Forsmark nuclear power plant (NPP) in Sweden.

The plant, which is one of the country's leading electricity suppliers, has been undergoing a number of upgrades in recent months to extend its operational life. Sweden has nine operational nuclear reactors that supply approximately 40% of the country's power.

The contract was awarded by plant operator Forsmark Kraftgrupp AB (Östhammar, Sweden), which is owned by Sweden's state-owned energy company Vattenfall AB (Stockholm). The value of the deal was not disclosed. According to Westinghouse, the two boiling water reactor (BWR) units have being upgraded over the past two decades with digital I&C systems. It intends to install a new operator interface in each of the control rooms and replace the process computers. New functionality will include mass storage of data, alarm and event handling, plant status displays and additional operator support functions.

"I am pleased that Westinghouse has earned the opportunity to work with Vattenfall on this key project. Such upgrades are essential to the long-term viability [of] the nuclear industry," said David Howell, Westinghouse senior vice president, Operating Plants Business.

The project will also see the plant's full-scope training simulator updated to mirror the new functionality. The simulator is used for operator training in both normal operational tasks and extreme events.

Late last year, the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority announced that Forsmark would be the best site for Sweden's proposed underground disposal facility for spent nuclear fuel. The project has been mooted as far back as 2002 and is being overseen by Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB) (Stockholm). Forsmark is already home to an intermediate-level radioactive waste disposal facility. The Safety Authority cautiously recommended Forsmark, citing the low rate of fracturing in its granite bedrock and slow moving groundwater. The government is expected to make a final decision in 2017.

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