Toshiba has signed an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract with STP Nuclear Operating Company (STPNOC) for the delivery of two Advanced Boiling Water Reactors (ABWRs) at the South Texas Project (STP).
STPNOC, a plant management company signed the contract, acting as agent for CPS Energy and Nuclear Innovation North America LLC (NINA) – a partnership between NRG (88%) and Toshiba (12%) focused on developing new nuclear projects using the ABWR design.
Toshiba was selected as the prime contractor for the development of the South Texas Project in March 2008. According to NRG the company’s US subsidiary, Toshiba America Nuclear Energy (TANE), will provide engineering and development services on a time and materials basis until full notice to proceed (FNTP) is given. Then, subject to Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approval of the STP 3&4 combined licence application and FNTP being issued, the EPC will convert to a lump-sum turnkey contract.
Units 3 & 4 at the STP will be the first ABWRs to be constructed in the USA and are slated to start operation in 2016 and 2017, respectively. The 1350MWe reactor design – developed jointly by GE, Hitachi and Toshiba – is already in use in Japan at Hamaoka 5 and Kashiwazaki Kariwa 6 & 7, with two ABWR units under construction at Lungmen on Taiwan. The design has already been certified in the USA.
The 12,220-acre South Texas Project site with 7000-acre cooling reservoir was originally designed for four units and is currently home to two operational PWRs. The two new ABWR units will be built adjacent to units 1 & 2, which currently produce 2700MWe.
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