SNC-Lavalin wins $20M contract to help extend life of Argentinan nuclear plant
by Canadian Manufacturing.com Staff
Project to add 30 years of life to CANDU reactor, which came online in 1984
The Embalse nuclear power plant in Argentina. The site is one of a handful of nuclear stations outside Canada running on CANDU technology. PHOTO: IAEA Imagebank, via Flickr
MONTREAL—SNC-Lavalin Inc. has won a more than $20 million contract to assist Argentinian nuclear operator Nucleoeléctrica Argentina SA extend the life of a nuclear plant in central Argentina.
The Montreal-based company will provide management and technical guidance on the maintenance project, deploying 30 reactor specialists to Embalse, in Argentina’s Córdoba province, to guide the plant operator through the life-extension project.
“We are pleased to send our CANDU experts to NA-SA to ensure their project runs smoothly,” Preston Swafford, chief nuclear officer and executive vice-president, of Nuclear at SNC, said. “This life extension project will allow the Embalse nuclear power plant to provide safe, reliable, affordable and low-carbon energy for up to another thirty years.”
One of six countries outside Canada to use CANDU technology, the Embalse nuclear power plant runs a single CANDU unit, pumping out 600 megawatts of power.
Under the maintenance project, engineers will replace main reactor components and balance of plant (BOP) equipment. The retrofit is expected to add 30 years of life to the reactor, which came online in 1984.
