AREVA will provide refuelling and outage services, replace and repair plant equipment and provide engineering and maintenance support
– By Stephen Heiser –
AREVA has announced that it has signed a five-year alliance with Progress Energy to become its comprehensive supplier of services and products for the utility’s four nuclear power plants. The multi-million dollar contract consolidates plant services under a single agreement and is estimated to result in significant cost savings for Progress Energy.
Progress Energy will begin to transition support from other service providers to the new alliance framework, and the agreement will take full effect in 2010. Progress Energy operates the two-unit Brunswick plant near Southport, N.C.; the single-unit Harris plant near New Hill, N.C.; the single-unit H.B. Robinson plant near Hartsville, S.C.; and the single-unit Crystal River plant near Crystal River, Fla.
AREVA will provide refuelling and outage services, replace and repair plant equipment and provide engineering and maintenance support as well as other technical services. The alliance creates an AREVA-Progress Energy team that will work closely together to increase efficiency, enhance operations and reach electric generation and safety goals for each plant.
“Our similar cultures make this a natural partnership,” said Mike Rencheck, AREVA NP Inc. President and CEO. “The alliance builds on our long-standing relationship with Progress Energy as a services provider. As a leading American supplier with unsurpassed global resources, we are uniquely positioned to deliver safety, quality and performance to Progress Energy and the rest of the U.S. nuclear energy industry.”
“By consolidating our contracts and services under this partnership, we will not only improve the quality of service but also provide more cost-effective service for the 3.1 million customers who depend on us,” said Jim Scarola, Senior Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer for Progress Energy.