Modernization to increase competitiveness

Modernizing operating nuclear power plants

As a key market player, the Installed Base business unit (BU) carries out modernization programs for different types of power plants and reactors:

• Pressurized water reactors (PWRs), including Russian-designed VVERs;
• Boiling water reactors (BWRs);
• CANada Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) pressurized heavy water reactors.

Thanks to its experience, the group can obtain optimal results and reduce the duration of unit outages.

Modernization projects across the globe

Germany

AREVA has signed a comprehensive engineering support agreement with RWE to modernize the Biblis B power plant in 2011-2012.

Brazil – Angra 3

Angra 3 is the second nuclear power plant to be built by AREVA in Brazil. It will benefit from key improvements such as digital instrumentation and control systems. Angra 2, already built by the group, has been operating successfully since late 2000.

Bulgaria – Belene 1 & 2

AREVA is helping complete this reactor of Russian origin as part of an agreement between the Bulgarian electric utility Nationalna Elektricheska Kompania and the Russian company Atomstroyexport (ASE). AREVA is ASE's designated service provider, in partnership with Siemens, to supply safety-related heating, ventilation and cooling systems, instrumentation and control systems, and electrical systems and equipment.

Canada

AREVA is in charge of modernizing the ventilation system at the Gentilly-2 power plant for Canadian utility Hydro-Québec. This is the second such project to be undertaken by AREVA for a CANDU reactor.

United States

• Turkey Point 3 & 4
  AREVA, with Day & Zimmermann, is in charge of the Road to Excellence project for Florida Power & Light. This 5-year turnkey program consists of implementing approximately 40 modifications to modernize units 3 and 4 at the Turkey Point site.
• Bellefonte 1
  AREVA is designing a nuclear steam supply system, a cutting-edge digital instrumentation and control system, and an advanced control room for reactor 1 at this power plant. The group has also submitted a bid to manufacture and supply 2 steam generators for unit 1, with an option of 2 other generators for unit 2.
• Sainte Lucie
  The group has secured orders to conduct studies for component design approximation and engineering support in order to increase power at unit 1 of the plant. AREVA supplied engineering support for the Waterford plant during the replacement of the steam generators.

France - Decennial outage of 900 MW power plants

This major modifications program includes the replacement of injection valve safety systems.

United Kingdom – Sizewell B

AREVA implemented a solution to remove the damaged heaters from inside the plant's pressurizer. After a 198-day unit outage, the reactor was reconnected to the grid in September 2010.

Sweden – Oskashamm 2, Ringhals 4

The operator selected an AREVA-Siemens consortium to modernize the power plant and extend its lifetime. AREVA will also replace the steam generators at Ringhals 4 in 2011.

Slovakia - Mochovce 3 and 4

AREVA is involved in completing the VVER pressurized water reactors.

Modernizing instrumentation and control and electrical systems

Replacing obsolete analog technology with new digital systems is a significant part of reactor modernization projects. The market for modernizing instrumentation and control and electrical systems includes not only AREVA's power plants, but also those of almost all nuclear reactor manufacturers.

In addition to recent successful projects in China (Quinshan) and Germany (Philippsburg 2), AREVA is currently carrying out a number of major operations across the globe:

• Sweden: Ringhals
• Finland: Loviisa
• United States: Oconee
• Czech Republic: Dukovany
• Slovakia: as part of the completion of Mochovce 3 and 4, the AREVA-Siemens consortium is studying the basic design of the main instrumentation and control system
• Russia: Novovoronezh and Kola 3