Czech, UK engineering firms join for decommissioning

Vítkovice Heavy Machinery (VHM) and TSP Engineering have signed an agreement to cooperate in the decommissioning of British nuclear power plants and the supply of components for nuclear-powered submarines. Czech engineering company VHM said yesterday the contract is worth about CZK3.5 billion ($158 million) over the next five years.

The agreement was signed in Prague this week by Jiri Broz, VHN sales director, and British Trade Secretary Greg Hands, VHM said.

The first phase of the deal will involve the supply of containers for the transport of contaminated material from decommissioned nuclear power units in the UK. VHM already supplies containers for the transport of waste from the Magnox sites in the UK.

Martin Bednarz, VHN general manager, said the agreement was a "strategic opportunity" for the Czech firm. "We offer a closed-loop production line from steelworks, through to hi-tech components, to the final product, such as a container," he added.

VHM is part of Czech heavy engineering company Vítkovice Machinery Group, which incorporates about 30 companies. The Ostrava-headquartered group says it has a "modern, extensive and unique production base and know-how based on research and development". The Vítkovice brand is 189 years old. Vítkovice has been operating in nuclear power since the second half of the 1960s.

Workington, England-based TSP Engineering has been supplying the nuclear and defence industries since 1950. It was bought by British Steel last year and newly registered as British Steel Limited, but trading as TSP Engineering. The company says its Workington site is one of the largest engineering facilities in the UK, comprising 19,200 square metres of workshop capacity.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News