Rolls-Royce and Areva NP have installed and commissioned the latest digital safety I&C technologies on to the first two reactors at the Cattenom and Paluel nuclear plants in France, as part of the world’s largest I&C modernisation programme.

The 14-year upgrade programme involves supplying 880 new electronic cabinets and modifying 180 existing cabinets with safety systems such as the reactor protection system, the neutron instrumentation system and the rod control system for the 20 reactors of EDF’s 1300MWe-class fleet in France.

The systems were installed under a contract EDF awarded  to Rolls Royce and Areva NP in 2011 as part of its Grand Carenage life extension project.