US-based GSE Systems announced on 3 January that it has been awarded an expanded contract to upgrade the control room station simulation system for EDF Energy's Torness NPP in the UK on the east coast of Scotland.
The contract, modified in December, follows an initial award from EDF Energy in August 2016 for the design phase of the project. GSE expects implementation to begin in mid-2017 and be completed within three years. The plant comprises two advanced gas-cooled reactors, which started generating electricity in 1988 and 1989. In February last year, EDF Energy announced it was extending the operating life of the plant by seven years to 2030.
EDF Energy decided to upgrade the simulator that was originally commissioned in 1988 with a new simulation platform which employs advanced modelling capabilities and will extend the useful life of the simulator and plant.
GSE will maintain the existing simulator instrumentation and control panels while upgrading the computing system, all plant models and the control systems on the simulator. GSE will use its JADETM suite of simulation tools to develop modern and sustainable models for the unit 1 control room simulator and develop a new model for the unit 2 plant. This will enable EDF Energy to operate the simulators in an integrated fashion for a wide range of training scenarios. GSE will also provide classroom simulators and a debriefing room simulator to enable students to take advantage of simulation technology across a multitude of learning environments.
