May 19 (SeeNews) - Candu Energy, a member of Canada's SNC-Lavalin Group, said on Thursday it has been mandated by Romania's Nuclearelectrica [BSE:SNN], operator of the Cernavoda nuclear power plant (NPP), to conduct performance optimization works on the Unit 1 CANDU nuclear reactor.
SNC-Lavalin will perform axial channel shifting for several fuel channels in Unit 1 during a three-year period, it said in a press release.
Axial channel shifting is a maintenance activity that adjusts elongation of the reactor’s fuel channel tubes.
"This new mandate with SNN will ensure that Romania continues to benefit from nuclear energy that is clean, efficient, and affordable - at a time when the need for both energy security and decarbonized sources of electricity have never been more important for Europe and the world," SNC-Lavalin CEO Ian L. Edwards said.
According to the company, this maintenance activity performed in advance of the refurbishment allows for a more cost-efficient and time-efficient refurbishment process. The effective shutdown of Cernavoda NPP Unit 1 for refurbishment purposes is scheduled, based on Nuclearelectrica development strategy throughout 2027-2029.
"Cernavoda NPP Unit 1 is a strategic electricity generator for Romania and we are keen on maintaining our high nuclear safety standards and results," Nuclearelectrica CEO Cosmin Ghita said.
The mandate will see SNC-Lavalin personnel deploy onsite to Cernavoda to carry out the work, which will be conducted over two outages.
Founded in 1911, SNC-Lavalin is a fully integrated professional services and project management company with offices around the world.
The Cernavoda NPP, located in southeastern Romania, has two reactors of 700 megawatts each. Its output cover around a fifth of the country's electricity needs.
Nuclearelectrica's shares traded 0.46% lower at 43.3 lei ($9.2/ 8.75 euro) as at 1510CET on Thursday on the Bucharest Stock Exchange.
($=0.9528 euro)
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