Nucleoeléctrica signs MoU to support Candu life-extension and services internationally

Argentina-based Nucleoeléctrica has signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate internationally on Candu life-extension and support activities, including engineering, technical assistance and maintenance services for Candu-type nuclear power plants.

The MoU was signed with Canada’s Candu Energy Inc, part of AtkinsRéalis, and positions Nucleoeléctrica as a partner with direct and proven experience in the type of projects Romania intends to undertake. The company’s stated aims include expanding revenue streams, generating foreign exchange, and projecting expertise developed by the Argentine nuclear industry internationally.

The developments are tied to life-extension work for Candu reactors at two sites: Romania’s Cernavoda plant and Argentina’s Embalse plant. Both facilities operate Candu reactors and share the same technological base, which Nucleoeléctrica highlights as relevant to cooperation.

In Argentina, Embalse’s life extension work was completed following a shutdown at the end of 2015. The scope included reactor retubing and replacing the steam generators, and it also included a 6% increase of the plant’s capacity to 683 MWe. Embalse returned to commercial operation in 2019 with a further 30 years of operation.

The described life-extension activities also include major component replacement and high-precision rebuild steps. The work includes replacing key reactor components such as steam generators, pressure tubes, calandria tubes and feeder tubes. It involves removing all the reactor’s fuel and heavy water and isolating the reactor from the rest of the power station before dismantling.

The source further describes inspection and replacement work performed during the rebuild, including thousands of components that are not accessible when the reactor is assembled. It also states that all 480 fuel channels and 960 feeder tubes are replaced during the high-precision rebuild.

Romania’s Cernavoda is currently undergoing a life-extension project to extend lifetime by 30 years. The Cernavoda plant comprises two operating 650 MWe Candu-6 reactors, with Nuclearelectrica planning to extend the operating life of unit 1 to 60 years. The refurbishment for unit 1 began in 2017 and is in the second of three phases; the third phase is scheduled for 2027 to 2029 and starts with unit 1 shutdown, followed by the work required for recommissioning.