Cranberry Township, Pa.-based Westinghouse Electric Co. recently signed its first purchase order with MTG-Dolphin AD to support Westinghouse’s two-unit AP1000 project at Bulgaria’s Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant.
“Local suppliers such as MTG-Dolphin AD will not only help us deliver the project on time and on budget, but they will also help drive real economic impact locally and create thousands of jobs during construction and the many decades of operation to come,” said Dan Lipman, president of Westinghouse Energy Systems.
The scope includes the development of the Nuclear Quality Assurance (NQA-1) Program, including the implementation of a nuclear safety culture, the preparation of engineering documentation for mockup manufacturing, and the potential production of an AP1000 CA Structural Module mockup, according to Westinghouse.
The work also presents opportunities for MTG-Dolphin AD to support Westinghouse’s projects in Europe and beyond.
“Our participation in the AP1000 project demonstrates the strength and potential of Bulgaria’s industrial base,” said Svetlin Stoyanov, CEO of MTG-Dolphin AD. “We are proud to support Westinghouse in advancing Bulgaria’s nuclear energy future and look forward to contributing to the success of the Kozloduy expansion, as well to future projects across Europe.”
As part of its “buy where we build” philosophy, Westinghouse said it has already signed memoranda of understanding with 29 Bulgarian suppliers to support the project.
The AP1000 reactor is the only operating advanced Generation III+ reactor with fully passive safety systems, modular construction design, and the smallest footprint per MWe on the market, said Westinghouse.
There are six AP1000 reactors currently setting operational performance and availability records worldwide with 12 reactors under construction and six more under contract. There will be 18 units based on AP1000 technology in operation globally by the end of the decade.
Westinghouse added that the AP1000 technology has also been selected for nuclear energy programs in Poland and Ukraine and is also under consideration at multiple other sites in Europe, the United Kingdom, and North America.
“Westinghouse is committed to engaging Bulgaria’s highly experienced nuclear supply chain in supporting the expansion of Kozloduy, as well as other AP1000 projects in Europe and around the world,” Lipman said.