Nexans wins Euros 9 million cable contract for China’s Taishan nuclear power plant

Monday, Jul 26, 2010

Nexans, the worldwide leader in the cable industry, has been awarded a Euros 9 million contract by China Nuclear Power Engineering Co., Ltd (CNPEC) to supply specialised low-voltage (LV) power, control and instrumentation cables for the 1,660 MWe Taishan EPR nuclear power plant currently under construction in Guangdong Province.

Nexans is supplying K3 type (not safety classified) cables for the Taishan project that have been specifically designed and tested to deliver exceptional performance, reliability and safety in nuclear power installations. They will ensure enhanced fireperformance in emergency situations based on a high level of fire-retardancy and fireresistance together with low-smoke and low toxicity characteristics provided by the use of zero-halogen materials.

Typical duties for the LV power cables will be to power the pumps that transfer water between the reactor vessels and the steam generators. The control cables will provide primary control for primary pumps, safety valves, ventilation and air-conditioning and so on, while the instrumentation cables will be used for constant system surveillance by measuring parameters such as steam pressure, water and component temperature, liquid levels, flow rates and vibration.

“China is a very important market sector for Nexans, so we are very pleased to be involved in this key development in the country’s growing nuclear power industry that already has 25 reactors under construction and many more in the planning stages”, says Bernard Albouy, Nexans’ Global Segment Manager for nuclear industry. “The key to winning the contract for the Taishan project was our wide portfolio of products that are fully qualified for nuclear power applications, together with a proven track record in similar projects and a reputation for handling the complex project management and documentation issues demanded by customers in the nuclear industry.”

The cables for the Taishan nuclear power plant will be manufactured in the Nexans Mehun-sur-Yèvre plant in France, deliveries to the site in China will commence at the end of 2010 and are scheduled for completion by the end of 2011.

Taishan project background

The Taishan project is adopting the advanced third-generation European pressurized water reactor (EPR) technology.

Taishan Nuclear Power Joint Venture Company Ltd (TNPJVC) was established by China Guangdong Nuclear Power Holding Corporation (CGNPC) and EdF (Electricite de France). CGNPC holds a 70 percent stake and EdF 30 percent.

The main contractor is Areva in consortium with two CGNPC subsidiaries, China Nuclear power Engineering Company (CNPEC) and China Nuclear Power Design Company (CNPDC) Currently, the government has approved the building of two units in the first phase project. The two power generating units will have the world's largest single-unit installed capacity of 1.75 million kW, capable of meeting all the electricity requirements of a medium-sized city.

Source: Nexans