B&W subsidiary to design and provide support for manufacture of replacement steam generators in South America

The Babcock & Wilcox Company (B&W) (NYSE:BWC) announced today that its subsidiary Babcock & Wilcox Canada Ltd. (B&W Canada) has been awarded a replacement steam generator (RSG) contract from Industrias Metalúrgicas Pescarmona Sociedad Anónima (IMPSA) in Argentina.

B&W Canada will design and fabricate key components and provide manufacturing technology for the completion of four CANDU RSGs. IMPSA will deliver the completed RSGs to the Embalse nuclear plant, which is owned and operated by Nucleoelectrica Argentina, S.A. (NA-SA).

The work will be performed by B&W Canada’s operations in Cambridge, Ontario, which has designed and manufactured more than 300 nuclear steam generators for customers worldwide.

“This contract represents our ongoing commitment to help Argentina meet its demand for power through reliable, safe and clean nuclear energy,” said Mike Lees, President, B&W Canada. “B&W Canada is not only equipped to extend the life of existing plants through nuclear products, services and technology, but also nuclear plant builds of the future.”

About B&W

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., The Babcock & Wilcox Company is a leader in clean energy technology and services, primarily for the nuclear, fossil and renewable power markets, as well as a premier advanced technology and mission critical defense contractor. B&W has locations worldwide and employs approximately 13,000 people, in addition to approximately 10,000 joint venture employees. Learn more at www.babcock.com.

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Source: Babcock and Wilcox

Nuke-powered vessels an option for Argentina

The Ministry of Defence in Argentina has said it is reviewing the idea of using nuclear reactors to power some of its naval vessels.

Minister Nilda Garre announced the possibility, saying that the country wants to maintain its level of scientific, industrial and technological skills. She said that Argentina did not want to be left out of nuclear propulsion technology.

Small pressurized water reactors already power hundreds of naval vessels in the fleets of China, France, India, Russia, the UK and USA, and benefits can reach the civil industry in terms of skills and supply chain investment. For the navy, the latest reactors can provide propulsion, electricity, air and water for the entire life of a vessel without the need to refuel.

Russia uses nuclear power for a small fleet of civil icebreakers and technology from this program is now being used to create a new type of nuclear power station in which small marine reactors are placed on transportable barges. The first of these is the Akademik Lomonosov, under construction now and due to go into operation at Vilyuchinsk in 2012 and supply 64 MWe from two reactors.

As well as four diesel-electric submarines, the larger ships of the Argentine navy include a command vessel with power needs of about 40 MW, a large destroyer with about 37 MW and four smaller destroyers with needs of about 27 MW each.

One potential supplier of reactors to meet these kinds of requirements would be the nuclear technology firm Invap, which has exported several research reactors and developed the Carem power plant design. The company confirmed to World Nuclear News that the Ministry of Defense is evaluating whether the technical resources are available for Argentina to develop its own nuclear propulsion units, adding that references to any Invap involvement were speculative.

Source: World Nuclear News

Venezuela and Argentina sign 25 cooperation agreements

The presidents of Argentina and Venezuela signed 25 agreements Tuesday calling for cooperation between their two nations in agriculture, electricity production and other economic areas.

“It’s not a client-orientated relation,” Argentine President Cristina Fernandez said of the ties between the two South American nations. “It’s about a strategic association and the transfer of technology, which is more just.”

“This must be the logic that should begin driving the world’s commercial relations,” she said.

Under the agreements, Venezuela’s state-run oil company and Argentina’s GNC Galileo will form a joint venture to manufacture liquid natural gas compressors for Venezuelan service stations.

Two other Argentine companies, Pintini and Almefin, plan to build water pumps and food processing plants to boost farm production in Venezuela, which imports most of its food. Argentina is one of the continent’s biggest food producers.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who is struggling with electricity shortages, is seeking help from Argentina to upgrade hydroelectric projects and an outdated power grid.

Following his encounter with Fernandez, Chavez met with Cuban President Raul Castro.

In televised remarks during the late night meeting, Chavez said that Venezuelan and Argentine officials discussed possible cooperation in helping Venezuela establish a nuclear power program.

“We ratified that we’re interested in developing nuclear energy for peaceful purposes,” Chavez said.

He did not elaborate.

Castro said Cuba’s government supports “the right we all have to use nuclear energy,” but the communist leader warned against the risk of a nuclear war, saying the consequences would be catastrophic. He somberly noted the fallout would dwarf the dimensions of Iceland’s volcanic ash plume.

“This was just a volcano,” Castro said. “Imagine what a small or limited nuclear exchange between powerful nations would be like: It would produce a nuclear winter that would black out the sun for months.”

Chavez said later that he and Castro spoke privately for roughly three hours, discussing trade and other bilateral issues. He accused Washington of attempting to undermine efforts toward Latin American unity.

“Take a look at the pressure the United States uses to impede this integration, but they haven’t been able to do it,” he said.

Source: Canadian Business Online

Argentina signs 3rd cooperation agreement with Russia

Russia and Argentina have signed their third nuclear energy cooperation agreement in 18 months, covering the possible construction of Russian-designed nuclear reactors and the development of fuel cycle facilities in Argentina.

The Russian and Argentinian Presidents meet (Image: kremlin.ru)

Rosatom head Sergei Kiryenko signed the agreement with Argentina’s federal planning minister Julio de Vido during an official visit by Russian president Dmitry Medvedev to Argentina. The agreement follows on from a memorandum of understanding on the peaceful uses of atomic energy signed by Rosatom and Argentina’s Ministry of Federal Planning, Investment and Service in February, and a joint statement signed in December 2008. The two countries signed a nuclear cooperation agreement in 1990.

According to Rosatom, the latest agreement expresses its willingness to act as a partner in designing and building nuclear power plants in Argentina based on Russian VVER pressurized water reactors, plus fuel supplies. For its part, the Argentinian ministry undertakes to consider the possibility of establishing various fuel cycle elements in the country, including development of domestic capacity for nuclear fuel fabrication.

In the wake of the meeting, Medvedev told reporters that Rosatom’s entry into the Argentinian market would attract “billions” in investments in reactor building and infrastructure.

Argentina has two operating pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWR), Atucha 1 and Embalse. Construction work was suspended on the 81%-complete Atucha 2, a German-designed PHWR like Atucha 1, in 1994, but was resumed in 2006, and the unit is scheduled for operation in 2011.

However, Russia is not the only country that Argentina is talking to about a possible fourth nuclear unit. De Vido has been holding discussions with companies and officials from countries including Canada, South Korea, and France as well as Russia, and only days before he signed the agreement with Rosatom, held meetings in Washington with Westinghouse executives to discuss the possible construction of a third unit at Atucha. In the wake of that meeting, de Vido’s ministry website reported that significant progress had been made towards cooperation with Westinghouse, and that Westinghouse representatives would visit Argentina in June to continue outlining possible collaborations.

Argentina has some fuel cycle facilities of its own, including a small domestic uranium mining industry, capable of milling up to 150 t/year, a 60 t/year conversion plant and fuel fabrication facilities able to produce fuel for both of the Argentinian reactor types. The country aims to make nuclear power part of an expansion of generating capacity to meet rising demand, and in late 2009 announced plans to build a prototype of its own CAREM simplified pressurised water design in the north-west of the country.

Source: World Nuclear News