French company Orano, together with German partner EWN has been awarded two contracts by German utility RWE to carry out strategic dismantling operations at the Mülheim-Kärlich and Biblis NPPs in the West of Germany.
The agreements cover segmentation and packaging of the Mülheim-Kärlich reactor pressure vessel (RPV) as well as other critical equipment such as the RPV-head and the RPV internals. Work at the Biblis site covers the RPV internals of units A and B.
The work will be conducted from 2020 to 2022 at the Mülheim-Kärlich site and from 2021 to 2023 at Biblis. It will be performed mainly underwater, using proven remote-operated technology. The segmentation of the internals on both sites will be carried out by Orano’s German subsidiary, Orano GmbH. The MülheimKärlich RPV will be cut and packed by EWN.
These contracts are a continuation of cooperation established between Orano and EWN, which have already been awarded several contracts by European utilities for segmentation and packing of reactor internals over the past two years, including Germany’s Philippsburg 2, Neckarwestheim II and Brunsbüttel plants, with an option on the Krümmel nuclear facility.
Photo: Biblis nuclear plant (Credit: RWE)