Power generation equipment supplier Alstom has completed the installation of a new control system for block 3 of the Ringhals nuclear power plant in only 30 days.
The system has passed a series of operational testing since Ringhals 3 first synchronized to the grid in mid-October.
This is the last important milestone of the integrated retrofit of the complete turbo group systems of block 3 at Ringhals. The commissioning of the new control system enabled the plant to deliver full power output in time for the increasing winter demand.
After a long period of engineering and mock-up tests the actual installation work began in late August and was completed one month later, to meet the deadline for cold commissioning – a phase of preparation, installation and testing, before turning the reactor steam on.
The next major step for Alstom is the completion of block 4 in 2011, which includes installation of the control system, erection of four new moisture separators, installation of two high-pressure turbines and two low-pressure preheaters.
The Ringhals nuclear power plant is situated on the west coast of Sweden 60 kilometres south of Gothenburg. The plant has four reactors – three pressurised water reactors and one boiling water reactor. In a normal year, Ringhals generates around 28 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity – approximately one fifth of Sweden’s total electrical energy consumption – and sufficient to supply six cities the size of Gothenburg with electricity. The plant’s total power output is about 3690 MW.
