Westinghouse Electric Company has won a $35 million contract to install replacement reactor vessel (RV) at the Beznau nuclear power plant in Switzerland. The work will be carried out during scheduled outages in 2014.
In 2009, Westinghouse was awarded a contract for delivery of the RV heads for Beznau 1&2, operated by Axpo AG. This latest contract covers installation of the RV heads – work that is scheduled for spring 2014 at unit 1 and autumn 2014 for unit 2.
Preliminary work is already underway, Westinghouse says.
Westinghouse will create a temporary opening in each unit’s concrete and steel containment using plasma cutting. The old heads will be removed from the reactor vessels and transferred from containment into the on-site radioactive waste intermediate storage building. The new heads then will be installed. All of this work should be completed in less than 40 days at each unit, Westinghouse said.
“We are eager to bring our unique expertise at performing large installations to bear for the Beznau plant,” said Jimmy Morgan, vice president, Westinghouse Installation and Modification Services. “That expertise has been honed through numerous, global installations of not only reactor vessel heads, but also other major components, such as steam generators and feedwater heaters.”
Westinghouse will also carry out work on two new emergency power buildings with related emergency power systems and install new plant computers during the 2014 outage.
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