US utility Entergy has extended a contract with Global Nuclear Fuel (GNF) to fuel the four of its boiling water reactors until 2021.
The agreement, which is valued at in excess of $100 million, covers two reloads at each at FitzPatrick, Grand Gulf, Pilgrim and River Bend.
GNF, a joint venture between General Electric, Hitachi, Ltd. and Toshiba Corporation, has a long-standing relationship with Entergy and has exclusively fuelled Pilgrim and FitzPatrick since they started operation in the 1970s.
In 2008 Entergy became the first utility to install reloads of the GNF2 fuel design, and this spring, Entergy installed test assemblies for the latest GNF fuel design, GNF3, in the River Bend plant.
"This extended period of fuel reloads will allow us to continue to bring value to Entergy’s operations and is a sign of the continued confidence the utility has in GNF," said Amir Vexler, Chief Operating Officer of GNF-Americas.
Fuel for the Entergy plants will be fabricated by GNF at its state-of-the-art facility in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Photo: Pilgrim nuclear plant (Credit: Entergy)
