Press Information
MHI and COMEX NUCLEAIRE Consortium Receives Order from EDF
SHARE
Tokyo, January 8, 2009 -- Further to an international bidding, the partner companies, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) and COMEX NUCLEAIRE has received an order from EDF (Electricite De France S.A.) to supply six replacement steam generators (RSG) for pressurized water reactor (PWR) nuclear power plants (NPP) in France. Their delivery will begin in 2013 and be completed in 2014. Within EDF, the project is managed by the Generation Nuclear Engineering Center (CIPN) at Marseilles.
MHI previously received its first order from EDF for the supply of six RSGs in 2005. The latest order thus brings the cumulative number of units ordered to MHI by EDF to twelve.
COMEX NUCLEAIRE provides, traditionally, highly specialized services and maintenance for NPP facilities. Within the framework of this contract with MHI, COMEX NUCLEAIRE will provide more particularly:
-the reconciliation with the French standards and regulations,
-the supports for the licensing vis-à-vis the Nuclear Safety Authority,
-the surveillance of the French and European subcontractors,
-the inland transport of the RSGs,
-the on site follow up and surveillance activities during the installation of the RSGs.
The RSGs on order will be manufactured at MHI's Kobe Shipyard and Machinery Works. The RSGs measure 21 meters in height and weigh roughly 300 tons. Their pressure-resistant container, made of low-alloy steel*, houses more than 4,000 heat transfer tubes made of a thermally treated alloy – inconel TT690**, an advanced material. SGs play a crucial role in PWRs by transferring the thermal energy generated in the reactor vessel to a secondary coolant and feeding the resulting steam to a turbine system to generate electricity.
In recent years MHI has been vigorously expanding sales of NPP equipment in receiving orders for 22 units of its RSGs from overseas, including France, Belgium and the United States.
The latest order was awarded based on EDF's recognition of MHI's and COMEX NUCLEAIRE's sophisticated engineering and technological expertise, product quality, reliability and capability to adapt to the standards and licensing rules France requires, in addition to its abundant RSG delivery and operational track records.
Going forward, MHI and COMEX NUCLEAIRE, which collaborate together since 2002, will continue actively conduct marketing activities to achieve further sales expansion of the NPP market of France.
* Steam generators are manufactured with strong low-alloy steel made of manganese, molybdenum and nickel steel, a combination highly resistant to the strong pressures characteristic of pressurized reactor (primary) and secondary coolants.
** Inconel TT690 is a thermally treated nickel-chromium-iron alloy offering enhanced resistance to stress corrosion cracks under high temperatures and pressures. It is used as a principal material of heat transfer tubes.
About MHI Group
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group is one of the world’s leading industrial groups, spanning energy, smart infrastructure, industrial machinery, aerospace and defense. MHI Group combines cutting-edge technology with deep experience to deliver innovative, integrated solutions that help to realize a carbon neutral world, improve the quality of life and ensure a safer world. For more information, please visit www.mhi.com or follow our insights and stories on spectra.mhi.com.