US-based EnergySolutions is establishing an advanced nuclear fabrication and manufacturing facility to support nuclear plant life extension and new NPP construction as part of its new Nuclear Services division. The new facility will be located in an existing 200,000 square foot EnergySolutions industrial building in Roane County, Tennessee, and refurbishment will begin immediately.
The building refurbishment and eventual production efforts will rely heavily on the local employment market. Once the refurbishment is complete, the facility will use automated production processes to produce high quality nuclear safety related and ASME Section III components. These will include “SC Wall structural modules, traditional plant tanks and pressure vessels, process modules, traditional pipe spools and hangers as well as manufactured bulk commodities that can significantly reduce the number of field welds and their associated costs”.
EnergySolutions President & CEO Ken Robuck said he looked forward to manufacturing high quality nuclear components at reduced cost. “We have the most experienced nuclear fabrication team in North America, and we are confident in our capabilities to capitalize on the excellent advanced manufacturing expertise that currently exists in East Tennessee,” he added. The location of the facility is ideal for shipping by water (to any port in the world) and throughout North American by rail and road.
EnergySolutions has hitherto focused mainly on safe recycling, processing, and disposal of nuclear material. It lists its areas of expertise as: decommissioning and decontamination; waste disposal; waste processing; transportation/logistics; and nuclear plant waste solutions.
