On Wednesday, GE-Hitachi announced a deal with Iberdrola and Nuclenor to provide a range of maintenance services at two Spanish nuclear power plants.
The six-year contract with a ten-year option addresses drywell and reactor pressure vessel maintenance tasks, as well as visual and ultrasonic inspections at the Cofrentes and Santa Maria de Garona plants, according to a GEH release.
“Iberdrola is committed to the long-term reliability of our Cofrentes and Garona nuclear power plants, which plays such a vital role in Spain’s national energy security,” Iberdrola’s chief nuclear officer Diego Molina said in the release. “This is why it is so important to work with service providers like GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy, which has the expertise and experience with both stations to help us meet our operational goals.”
Both plants use GE boiling water reactors. Iberdrola’s Cofrentes plant, located in the Valencia region, began operating in 1985 and provides almost 5 percent of the country’s power. The Nuclenor Garona plant in Burgos began operating in 1971.
In a separate agreement, a partnership called GENUSA between Spain's ENUSA and Global Nuclear Fuel—established by GE, Hitachi and Toshiba—will provide fuel for the plants.