Thales gets UK control system work

29 July 2014

Thales Group has secured a ten-year, £30 million ($51 million) contract to provide long-term support for computerised control systems at seven of EDF Energy's UK nuclear power plants.

Torness_(EDF_Energy)_460
Torness (Image: EDF Energy)

The contract will see the technology company deliver specialist software, database and system support along with fault investigation, spares analysis, obsolescence monitoring and supply chain evaluation to all of EDF Energy's fleet with the exception of Sizewell B and Dungeness B. The technically complex systems are critical to safe plant operations, and EDF Energy head of lifetime programs Nigel Houlton described the contract as a crucial part of the supply chain to support extended operations.

The plants covered by the contract share system similarities, and indeed are often thought of as three groups of 'sister' plants, while Sizewell B and Dungeness B use different control systems from others in the UK fleet.

Under a £5 million ($8.5 million) contract awarded in November 2013, Thales is also supplying five Deployable Communications and Information Systems sets for the UK's nuclear fleet, which it said would enhance the ability to deal with emergencies caused by extreme weather or other natural events. The containerised sets integrate off-the-shelf equipment to provide a communications capability that can be deployed as needed to monitor critical plant systems and relay data to operators under emergency conditions.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News