Siemens awarded contract to upgrade FPL plants
Siemens has been awarded a contract by Florida Power and Light (FPL) to refurbish and upgrade the turbine-generator units of its St Lucie and Turkey Point nuclear power plants to increase power output.
Siemens has been awarded a contract by Florida Power and Light (FPL) to refurbish and upgrade the turbine-generator units of its St Lucie and Turkey Point nuclear power plants to increase power output.
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| Turkey Point (Image: FPL) |
The two-unit St Lucie plant on the east coast of Florida comprises two 839 MWe capacity pressurized water reactors (PWRs). The Siemens scope of supply for both units includes a new high-pressure turbine; two new low-pressure turbines; complete modernization of the generator, including a rewind of the stator; generator rotor rewind; refurbished exciter and certain field installation services. The modernization work is expected to increase the capacity of each reactor by some 100 MWe.
The capacity of each of Turkey Point's two 693 MWe PWRs is also expected to be increased by 100 MWe through the installation of new high-pressure turbines; complete modernization of the generators, including a rewind of the stators; new generator rotors; and refurbishment of exciters.
FPL's plan to uprate its four existing reactors at Turkey Point and St Lucie was approved by the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) in December 2007. The engineering upgrades needed to increase the power output of the units will be conducted during scheduled refuelling outages by 2012. The reactor upgrades are estimated to cost some $1.5 billion, while providing long-term savings to customers of $221 million to $963 million, according to FPL.
In June, Siemens was awarded a contract worth some $90 million by FPL to upgrade the units its two-unit Point Beach nuclear power plant in Wisconsin. The upgrades are expected to add up to 85 MWe to the installed capacity of each unit.
Randy Zwirn, CEO of the Siemens Energy Service Division, said, "Nuclear power makes up 20% of our US energy mix today and will continue to play an important role in the energy mix of the future." He added, "The projects in Wisconsin and Florida have the potential to increase the installed capacity by approximately 570 MWe."
Art Stall, executive vice president of FPL's nuclear division, commented, "There projects will allow us to deliver additional clean, affordable energy to our customers. Adding the equivalent of a medium-sized power plant through efficiency improvements makes good business sense."
The uprates are part of FPL's larger nuclear programme, which includes the construction of two additional reactors at Turkey Point. Under the plan, FPL will generate some 30% of its electricity from nuclear energy by 2020, compared with the current 20%.
