Shaw Group to Support Two More Chinese AP1000s

The Shaw Group on Monday announced it has signed an initial contract for two new AP1000 units at the Xianning nuclear power plant project in Hubei province with a subsidiary of China’s State Nuclear Power Technology Corp. (SNPTC).

The company, along with consortium partner Westinghouse, is already building four AP1000 nuclear power plants in Sanmen, Zhejiang province and in Haiyang, Shandong province. Contracts for those projects include engineering, procurement, commissioning and startup, information management system and project management services for the four third-generation reactors.

The contract for the new Xianning reactors includes engineering and design management, project controls, quality assurance, construction management and project management, as well as health, safety and environmental management, Louisiana-based Shaw Group said.

The company had in April 2009 signed a strategic cooperation agreement with SNPTC to support China’s rapidly growing nuclear power infrastructure. The contract is the first project announced under the 2009 strategic cooperation agreement.

China currently has 12 nuclear power plants that generate 10 GW, but it is planning to build more than 30 new reactors by 2020.

The Xianning project is unique in that it is China’s first AP1000 project inland, and China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group’s first AP1000 project. Officials attending the signing ceremonies said that the agreement promoted and accelerated domestic AP1000 nuclear project development by taking the country’s self-sufficiency plans to the next level.

According to SNPTC, the Xianning project’s main equipment contracts have been signed, and design activities were under way.

In a related story, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy on Tuesday said it would develop nuclear plants, including feasibility design studies and project engineering, in India and other countries with support from India’s Tata Consulting Engineers.

Like China, India is looking to massively increase its nuclear capacity. The country’s 19 nuclear power plants produce 4,560 MW. Plans call for an expansion of up to 20,000 MW by 2020, and 63,000 by 2032.

GE Hitachi already has agreements with equipment manufacturer Bharat Heavy Electricals and Larsen & Toubro.

Sources: Shaw Group, SNTPC, GE Hitachi, POWERnews