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GE-Hitachi, Westinghouse and L&T Prepare for Major Nuclear Orders in India

GE-Hitachi is reportedly expecting to get orders for six to eight nuclear power reactors in India while Larsen & Tourbo (L&T) and Westinghouse Electric Co. announced Friday they would jointly build Westinghouse’s AP1000 pressurized water reactors and seek orders in the country.

The news emerges as a U.S. commercial nuclear trade delegation to India conducts talks with the country’s monopoly Nuclear Power Corp. after a nuclear pact was signed by the two countries.

Faced with a 15% shortfall of demand in peak hours, India has outlined plans to add 78,000 MW of generation capacity by 2012. According to a Reuters report, India’s Atomic Energy Commission has indicated that about 10,000 MW of capacity would be reserved for construction by U.S. companies.

GE-Hitachi, the joint venture between U.S.-based General Electric and Japan’s Hitachi, was expecting to get orders for reactors of up to 9,000 MW, Reuters reported on Friday. GE-Hitachi told the news agency that it could supply its advanced boiling water reactors (ABWR) once regulatory hurdles were cleared.

GE-Hitachi said that the company would supply the first two units, but could look at local firms for construction of the reactors. It is in discussion with L&T, Hindustan Construction Co. and Punj Lloyd, it told Reuters.

Meanwhile, Westinghouse Electric, a unit of Japan’s Toshiba, on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with L&T to jointly address the need for pressurized water reactors with modular construction technology in India.

L&T has already been playing a lead role in equipment manufacture, construction, and project management for pressurized heavy water reactors in India’s domestic program. With this MOU, the company will enable both companies to use “indigenous capabilities for the Turnkey Construction of nuclear power plants including supply of reactor equipment and systems, valves, electrical & instrumentation products and fabrication of structural, piping and equipment modules for the Westinghouse AP 1000 plants.”

Sources: L&T, Reuters, POWERnews

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