MONTREAL, July 21,
2022 /CNW Telbec/ - Candu Energy Inc., a member
of the SNC-Lavalin Group (TSX: SNC), has been selected by
Nuclearelectrica S.A. (SNN), operator of the Cernavoda Nuclear
Generating Station in Romania, to
conduct design and engineering services for the Unit 1
CANDU® reactor at the facility, as the first step to a
future life extension project to support energy security and the
country's Net Zero goals. As part of the 2.5-year contract, worth
roughly $64 million, SNC-Lavalin will
provide engineering and early procurement services for retubing
work to replace key components of the reactor core: fuel channels,
pressure tubes and feeders, for Cernavoda Unit 1, which would see
the reactor's operating life extended to 2060. The Unit 1
CANDU® reactor alone supplies 10% of Romania's electricity, providing an
emissions-free, energy-secure, and uninterrupted flow of power.
"Europe is contending with the
most significant energy crisis of this century; it is faced with
the challenge of shifting electricity generation to sources that
are Net Zero while also working to ensure the continuity of its
energy supply," commented Ian L.
Edwards, President and Chief Executive Officer, SNC-Lavalin.
"This project not only contributes to SNC-Lavalin's Net Zero
philosophy and our purpose: engineering a better future for our
planet and its people, but it also advances the refurbishment of
the Cernavoda reactor that provides Romania with energy security and has
contributed to the reduction of its greenhouse gas emissions by
over 10 million tonnes a year."
As part of the mandate, SNC-Lavalin will deploy specialized
personnel from its nuclear business to the Cernavoda site to carry
out the work. This includes experts across design engineering,
reactor engineering analysis, and procurement qualification. The
multi-disciplinary project team will collaborate closely to bring
together their expertise across feeders, fuel channel design, and
stress analysis to ensure cost-effective and time-efficient project
delivery. SNC-Lavalin's full lifecycle nuclear expertise and its
best practices developed from similar work on nuclear plants
in New Brunswick (Point Lepreau),
Ontario (Darlington and Bruce Power), South Korea (Wolsong), and Argentina (Embalse) will also be leveraged to
maximize outcomes for the Cernavoda retubing.
"Romania needs renewed nuclear
power capacities for producing clean, stable and affordable energy,
as a solution for achieving energy security and the protection of
consumers," said Cosmin Ghiță, CEO of Nuclearelectrica S.A. "We
have a long-term mission of generating clean energy (33% of the
total decarbonized power in Romania) at excellent standards of safety, and
the refurbishment of Unit 1 will provide Romania with another 30 years of baseload
clean energy. We are proud to sign this contract with SNC-Lavalin
on this vitally strategic project."
Nuclear is one of the cornerstones of SNC-Lavalin's business and
this win builds upon the Company's long-term framework agreement
with SNN over the last 10 years. The agreement has seen SNC-Lavalin
provide multiple services, including feeder inspection &
replacement, as well as fuel channel inspections and safety
upgrades for the Cernavoda CANDU reactors. SNC-Lavalin also
announced in May 2022 that it had
been contracted to undertake performance optimization work on
the Unit 1 CANDU® reactor.
"We are pleased to continue our forty-plus year relationship
with SNN and Romania, as they
prepare their CANDU reactors to serve future generations as
dependably as they've served past generations," said Joe St. Julian, President, Nuclear, SNC-Lavalin.
"As the steward and original equipment manufacturer of
CANDU technology, no one knows this reactor, or how to execute
a successful retubing of it, better than we do. We are proud that
our CANDU technology will continue contributing to the prosperity
of Romania and its people;
providing emissions-free, baseload electricity its economy can
depend on in all weather conditions, and in all geopolitical
environments, for the next 30 years."
Preparing Cernavoda's CANDU reactors to continue serving
Romania's future generations with
stable, decarbonized power is aligned with SNC-Lavalin's
Engineering Net Zero blueprint; it is our commitment to
advance projects that help clients decarbonize their assets, manage
climate risk and build climate resiliency.
About SNC-Lavalin
Founded in 1911, SNC-Lavalin is a fully integrated
professional services and project management company with offices
around the world dedicated to engineering a better future for our
planet and its people. We create sustainable solutions that connect
people, technology and data to design, deliver and operate the most
complex projects. We deploy global capabilities locally to our
clients and deliver unique end-to-end services across the whole
life cycle of an asset including consulting, advisory &
environmental services, intelligent networks & cybersecurity,
design & engineering, procurement, project & construction
management, operations & maintenance, decommissioning and
capital – and delivered to clients in key strategic sectors such as
Engineering Services, Nuclear, Operations & Maintenance and
Capital. News and information are available at
snclavalin.com or follow us on LinkedIn
and Twitter.
About SNC-Lavalin's Nuclear
Business
SNC-Lavalin has over 60 years' of global nuclear expertise,
delivering nuclear technology products and full-service solutions
to nuclear utilities around the world. With an innovative
technology portfolio, including access to over 500 patented
solutions, SNC-Lavalin solves technically complex challenges across
the whole nuclear lifecycle from design and new build through asset
management and from life extension and late life management through
decommissioning and waste management. SNC-Lavalin operates and
manages government nuclear research sites, transforming ageing
infrastructure and safely managing legacy nuclear waste.
SNC-Lavalin is the steward of CANDU® nuclear technology, operating
on four continents, and provides advisory and engineering services
to other nuclear developers. SNC-Lavalin is also involved in
developing medical radioisotopes for cancer research through its
partnership with TerraPower.
SOURCE SNC-Lavalin