Westinghouse Recognizes Czech Moravian-Silesian Region Fundamental to Temelin AP1000® Reactor Success
Ostrava (PRWEB) March 26, 2014 -- Westinghouse Electric Company president, Europe, Middle East and Africa Yves Brachet and a high level delegation visited the city of Ostrava, the industrial heartland of the Czech Republic and administrative center of the Moravian-Silesian Region. Mr. Brachet met with key regional political and business leaders in preparation for the potential construction of Westinghouse AP1000® nuclear power plants in the Czech Republic and potentially beyond.
The first stop included a meeting of regional executives, including Jan Světlik, Vítkovice a.s. Chairman of the Board of Directors and President of the Vítkovice Machinery Group. During this meeting, Mr. Brachet took the opportunity to sign Agreements on Future Contracts for the Temelín 3 and 4 nuclear power plant project with Vítkovice Heavy Machinery a.s, Vítkovice Power Engineering a.s and Hutní montáže a.s. Under the terms of these strategically important agreements, these prominent Czech companies will commit to jointly fabricate and install a majority of the key structural and mechanical modules for the AP1000 reactor if Westinghouse is awarded the contract for the extension of Temelín Nuclear Power Plant.
“The Agreements on Future Contracts marks a further important milestone in Westinghouse’s ongoing drive and commitment to develop local Czech partners and deliver a highly competitive tender to ČEZ for the construction of two AP1000 reactors at the Temelín nuclear power plant site,” said Yves Brachet. “This scope represents a very significant percentage of the total plant construction and will result in hundreds of millions of Czech crowns and sustained work for thousands of Czech workers from the Moravian-Silesian region. This opportunity will also uniquely position these companies for similar work in other AP1000 construction projects in Europe. However, any further interruptions in the Temelín tender will undermine and postpone these socio-economic benefits to the region and the Czech Republic.”
Chairman of the Vítkovice Board of Directors and president of the Vítkovice Machinery Group Jan Světlík said, “Vítkovice Machinery Group has a long tradition supplying to the nuclear energy industry, both at home and abroad, with current annual orders in excess of several billion Czech crowns. The members of the Czech Machinery Cluster are also ready to participate in new opportunities and challenges in the industry. A qualified supply chain consisting of over 3,000 trained and experienced individuals is ready to participate in the opportunities from the Temelín 3 and 4 project. Vítkovice Machinery Group, as well as all the other member companies of the Czech Machinery Cluster, has long-term intentions to participate in the nuclear industry. Vítkovice is prepared not only for cooperation in the Temelín 3 and 4 project, but also on worldwide projects.”
As part of an ongoing process to train and qualify Czech companies to build the world’s most advanced nuclear power plant, Westinghouse contracted Vítkovice Power Engineering in July 2013 to construct a mock-up section of one of the AP1000 plant’s critical, and largest, modules, the CA20. When fully constructed, the CA20 stands five stories high and contains key equipment supporting safe, reliable operations. This demonstration project involved the fabrication of a sub-module cutaway-section of CA20.
At the unveiling ceremony for the completed mock-up module, Mr. Brachet said, “The demonstration project has allowed Vítkovice Power Engineering to familiarize itself with Westinghouse, and indeed global technical and quality requirements. Westinghouse adheres to internationally recognized codes and standards, such as American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) utilized in Europe, North America and Asia. Vítkovice Power Engineering will additionally benefit by applying these standards globally, beyond the nuclear industry.”
The AP1000 plant has been designed to make use of modern modular-construction techniques, which allow many more construction activities to proceed in parallel. This reduces the calendar time for plant construction, thereby reducing the cost of money and the exposure risks associated with plant financing. These construction techniques are already being utilized with success in the U.S. and China, and represent a very significant percentage of the total plant construction.
Westinghouse Electric Company, a group company of Toshiba Corporation (TKY:6502), is the world's pioneering nuclear energy company and is a leading supplier of nuclear plant products and technologies to utilities throughout the world. Westinghouse supplied the world's first pressurized water reactor in 1957 in Shippingport, Pa., U.S. Today, Westinghouse technology is the basis for approximately one-half of the world's operating nuclear plants, including more than 50 percent of those in Europe. AP1000 is a trademark of Westinghouse Electric Company LLC. All rights reserved.
Vítkovice Heavy Machinery is an important engineering company with its own steel production that focuses especially on the supplies in the area of heavy steel castings, machined forgings, ship crankshafts and components, equipment of steel plants and rolling mills, forming equipment and rolled tires for the railway industry. We direct our efforts to increasing of the share of production and supplies of machinery products with high added value.
Vítkovice Power Engineering is member of the Vítkovice Machinery Group, the most important Czech engineering group with a strong position in selected segments of machinery production and in the area of supplies of large investment assemblies. It incorporates approximately 30 companies. The group consists of a modern, extensive and unique production base, coupled with substantial know-how based on research and development. The Vítkovice trademark celebrated its 180th anniversary in December 2008. Vítkovice Machinery Group is an important supplier of components for nuclear power plants. Pressurizers and steam generators manufactured in Vítkovice serve in the Czech nuclear plants at Temelín and Dukovany, and also in other nuclear power plants outside the country, for example in Slovakia, Russia and India.
Hutní montáže is an established and the biggest firm in the sector of construction, installation, repair and maintenance of industrial facilities and power generation units and infrastructure in the Czech Republic. Hutní montáže is significant member of the Vítkovice Machinery Group. Hutní montáže operates in the sector of structural steel delivery and installation, steel bridge construction, equipment installation, cranes and construction machinery rental and engineering and business activities. In addition to the domestic market, Hutní montáže is increasingly focused o¬n foreign markets, especially in Germany, Slovak Republic, Scandinavia, the Netherlands and South America.
Hans Korteweg, Westinghouse Electric Company, EMEA Region, http://www.westinghousenuclear.com, +32 479-751-360, [email protected]
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