Swedish electrical utility Vattenfall has chosen both Westinghouse and AREVA to supply fuel assemblies for its seven reactors in the period 2016-2020. Westinghouse reported its contract would supply fuel for Forsmark 3, Ringhals 3 and 4. AREVA separately reported it has won contracts for four unspecified Vattenfall reactors for the same period, most likely for Forsmark 1&2 and Ringhals 1&2.
AREVA also reported that Vattenfall is pushing ahead at the Swedish Ringhals power plant with irradiation of GAIA lead prototype fuel assemblies, a new fuel design developed by AREVA for PWRs.
Forsmark 1-3 and Ringhals 1 are Asea Atom BWRs; Ringhals 2-4 are Westinghouse PWRs. Asea Atom was acquired by Westinghouse's parent company in 2000.
All of the fuel will be made in Europe, at AREVA's Lingen, Germany factory, and at Westinghouse's Västerås, Sweden factory.
"The market for nuclear fuel assemblies is very competitive with suppliers from Germany, the U.S., Korea, Japan and Spain providing finished fuel to similar reactors," said Johan Hallén, Westinghouse vice president and managing director, Northern Europe.
Westinghouse reported that it is currently fueling 145 PWR and BWR plants worldwide. It also said it has 10 nuclear fuel manufacturing locations around the world, including two sites in Europe: Springfields Fuels Limited (Preston, Lancashire, UK) and Westinghouse Electric Sweden (Västerås, Sweden).
AREVA's fuel production is more European. In addition to Lingen, Germany, there is also production in Romans, France; Dessel, Belgium; and Richland, Washington, USA, plus supporting manufacture in another half-dozen factories in France, Germany and Belgium.
Image: Ringhals 1-3 (left to right). Vattenfall: Forsaeter Boris.
