SNC-Lavalin wins Korean and Chinese nuclear maintenance contracts

MONTREAL—SNC-Lavalin has been awarded two nuclear maintenance contracts in South Korea and China.

The Montreal-based engineering services firm has won a fuel channel inspection contract from Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Company Ltd. (KHNP) and a fuel channel reconfiguration contract from China’s Third Qinshan Nuclear Power Company Ltd. (TQNPC).

The firm will conduct inspection of the fuel channels of KHNP’s Wolsong units 1 and 3 this year and will reconfigure of the fuel channels of TQNPC’s Qinshan units 1 and 2 in 2017 and 2018.

SNC-Lavalin is the sole licensee and original equipment manufacturer of Canada Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) heavy water reactor technology, which the firm says provides it with the expertise to inspect and reconfigure these reactor fuel channels.

CANDU reactors were designed as multi-fuel reactors capable of using natural uranium, recovered uranium, mixed-oxide and thorium fuels. These reactors are used on four continents and power over 50 per cent of the homes of Ontario’s 14 million residents.

“Winning these two contracts is further evidence of SNC-Lavalin’s strong presence in the East Asian nuclear market. We are pleased at the confidence our customers continue to show us in this increasingly competitive market,” said Preston Swafford, chief nuclear officer and executive vice president, Nuclear.

The news of these contracts comes just days after SNC-Lavalin CEO Neil Bruce said the company lost out on foreign contracts last year because of federal corruption charges.

Bruce said these charges, which allege that SNC-Lavalin bribed public officials and defrauded organizations in Libya, prevented the company from winning significant business.

The SNC-Lavalin CEO has requested that Ottawa put in place a process that allows companies to settle corporate corruption charges and avoid being put at a disadvantage when competing against rival firms in other G7 countries.