Exelon Nuclear Partners, a subsidiary of the largest nuclear operator in the United States, has been selected to act as consultant engineer for the proposed Visaginas nuclear project in Lithuania.
State-owned Visagino atominė elektrinė, UAB (VAE) signed a contract of undisclosed value with ENP on 9 December, following a competitive tender. Under that agreement, ENP will support efforts to put in place an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract and fuel supply contract and will consult on other technical matters.
“We took a big step forward – one of the world leaders in nuclear industry with an extensive experience and competence joined Visaginas NPP project executors,” said Rimantas Vaitkus, the director general of VAE. “This once again proves that Visaginas NPP project is mature and is further developed on the very professional basis.”
Exelon operates 17 reactors in the USA, including 12 boiling water reactors – the technology choice for the Lithuanian project.
The proposed facility, a Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy advanced boiling water reactor (ABWR), is to be built next to the shuttered Ignalina reactors near the town of Visaginas in eastern Lithuania. The project is being undertaken in collaboration with Estonia, Latvia and Poland. Hitachi-GE is acting as ‘strategic investor’ with a 51% stake in the project. Exelon is not an investor in the project.
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