Asian contracts for US valve makers
07 October 2009
Two US companies have received orders for safety-related valves to be used in new nuclear power plants in Asia. Tyco Flow Control will provide valves for four new units in China, while Flowserve Corp will supply valves for two new South Korean reactors.
Tyco Flow Control - a subsidiary of Tyco International - has been awarded two separate contracts by China's State Nuclear Power Engineering Co (SNPEC) to provide the critical safety valves for four Westinghouse AP1000 units currently under construction. It will supply the main steam safety valves and pressurizer safety valves for two reactors at Sanmen in Zhejiang province and two at Haiyang in Shandong province. The value of the contract was not disclosed.
Construction of the first Sanmen unit - being built by Westinghouse and its partner Shaw - began in April and it is expected to be online in August 2013. Sanmen Unit 1 should be the world's first AP1000 in service. The second Sanmen reactor should start up about one year later, while another four AP1000s could also be built there.
First concrete at Phase I of the Haiyang plant, comprising two Westinghouse AP1000 units, was poured late last month. Haiyang 1 and 2 are expected to begin operating in May 2014 and March 2015 respectively.
Tyco said that it has significantly expanded its presence in the Chinese power generation market. It has established "a team of more than 50 direct nuclear power sales engineers dedicated to providing localized, customized support and products certified to meet the stringent safety requirements for nuclear power generation." The company added, "This has helped to strengthen procurement relationships for nuclear products within the country."
Flowserve's Korean contract
Meanwhile, Flowserve has been awarded a "multi-million dollar" order from Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) for the main steam isolation valves (MSIV) and feedwater isolation valves for units 3 and 4 of its Shin-Kori nuclear power plant. MSIVs are used to assist in the safe shutdown of a reactor in the unlikely event of a rupture in the plant's steam piping.
The units are the first to be constructed using KHNP's new APR-1400 reactor design. First concrete for Shin-Kori 3 was poured in October 2008, while that for unit 4 was poured last month. Commercial operation of the two reactors is set for September 2013 and September 2014, respectively.
In March, Flowserve signed a joint venture agreement with China's SUFA Technology Industry Co Ltd - a subsidiary of China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC) and the largest valve manufacturer in China - to produce safety-related valves, including MSIVs, exclusively for China's nuclear power industry. The joint venture - Flowserve-SUFA Nuclear Power Equipment Co Ltd - will be based in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, and will be 51% owned by SUFA and 49% by Flowserve.