SNC-Lavalin wins contracts for Wolsong upgrade work

The inspections will provide assurance to KHNP and the Korean nuclear regulator that the Candu nuclear reactors at the Wolsong site continue to be safe to operate until the next planned inspection.

"SNC-Lavalin has performed these campaigns for over 20 years and continues to conduct these inspections on both international and domestic Candu reactors using the latest tools and technologies for inspections and non-destructive testing," Sandy Taylor, president for nuclear at SNC-Lavalin, said.

The new contracts comprise: inspecting fuel channels and performing pressure tube sampling campaigns for Wolsong units 2, 3 and 4; completion of an engineering analysis and assessment on the fuel channels and fuel channel components (including calandria tubes) for the units; and updating the thermal-hydraulic computer codes (CATHENA and NUCIRC) to support KHNP in its safety analysis report for the three units.

The Wolsong site in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, houses four 700 MWe Candu 6 pressurised heavy water reactors. Wolsong 1, which began generating electricity in 1983, will be retired prior to the expiry of its operating licence in 2022.