Doosan selected as Candu Energy preferred vendor

Wednesday, 30 April 2025

According to Doosan Enerbility, it was selected by Candu Energy - a subsidiary of AtkinsRéalis - following the shortlisting of nine companies from about 2000 vendors for the role of preferred vendor. The preferred vendor agreement was signed in Seoul on 29 April.

"Upon signing this agreement, Doosan Enerbility will now be able to expand its participation in global nuclear projects, as it will have the chance to engage in the design, manufacturing, installation, commissioning and operation processes of global nuclear power plant projects being conducted by Candu Energy," Doosan Enerbility said.  

"The Candu technology has already been successfully rolled out to four continents of the world and been proven to be a product of the highest reliability," said Candu Energy President Gary Rose. "As we endeavour to strengthen our supplier capabilities for Candu's global projects, including those in the Asian region, we are delighted to have Doosan Enerbility come on board as one of our global supply chain partners."

Jongdoo Kim, CEO of Doosan Enerbility's Nuclear Business Group, added: "Doosan Enerbility is the first-ever non-Canadian company to be selected as a preferred vendor, which is essentially a verification of the Korean nuclear industry's competitiveness in the global market. With the signing of this agreement, we aim to participate in not only Candu Energy's heavy water reactor facility upgrade projects, but also in nuclear new-build projects."

Last year, Candu Energy placed orders with Doosan Enerbility to supply feeder pipes to be used in the refurbishment of unit 1 at the Cernavoda nuclear power plant in Romania and for the four Candu reactors at Canada's Pickering B plant.

Earlier this month, Candu Energy concluded preferred vendor agreements with eight Canadian companies for the refurbishment and construction of Candu reactors. The agreements were signed with: BC Instruments, BWXT, Celeros, ES Fox, Niagara Energy, NWI Precision, Senior Flexonics and Velan. Candu Energy said these companies would benefit from preferential access to key contracts and will play an important role in the deployment of new Candu reactors in Canada and abroad.

There are currently 31 Candu reactors in operation around the world, including in Canada, South Korea, Romania, China and Argentina.

Candu units are pressurised heavy water reactors designed to operate for 30 years, with a further 30 years available subject to refurbishment. This includes the replacement of 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 it from the rest of the power station before it is dismantled. Thousands of components, including those that are not accessible when the reactor is assembled, are inspected, and all 480 fuel channels and 960 feeder tubes are replaced during the high-precision rebuild.

AtkinsRéalis unveiled plans for the 1000 MW Candu Monark, a Generation III+ reactor with the highest output of any Candu technology, in November 2023. It completed the conceptual design phase in September 2024 and is in the planning stage of a vendor design review with the Canadian nuclear regulator.