January-February 2019 NPJ

10 NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, January-February 2019 Utility, Industry & Corporation Utility Life Extension Program Bruce Power signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Framatome valued at $18.7 million covering a range of innovations and new activities, including operational improvements for its nuclear reactors. These innovative modernizations, planned for Bruce A and Bruce B, are an important component of the facility’s Life-Extension Program, which will allow the plant to continue operating through 2064. Framatome will design and implement Bruce Power’s filtered containment venting systems, an inherently safe technology that prevents the build-up of excessive pressure while safely releasing hydrogen and capturing fission products under unlikely accident conditions. Once fully installed and tested, these innovations will mitigate offsite planning needs and enable longer- term operational improvements. Framatome will also support Bruce Power’s Life-Extension Program through services for transformers and other high- voltage components as a part of the high-voltage maintenance program, and will remain a key player on the steam generator replacement team to replace steam generators at Unit 6 of the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station. In order to execute these improvements, Framatome expanded its office facility near Kincardine to continue to support Bruce Power in its Life- Extension Programs and other nuclear- related activities. Contact: Bruce Power, telephone: (519) 361 2673, email: info@brucepower. com. Expansion The year 2019 will ring in new jobs and major investment in Mississippi as Entergy Nuclear continues to expand its operations and workforce. Entergy Corporation has created some 170 jobs at Grand Gulf Nuclear Station since 2017, increasing its workforce to more than 820 employees. Over the next one to two years, Entergy expects to create about 70 more jobs at Grand Gulf. At Entergy Nuclear’s Jackson-based nationwide headquarters an expansion is underway to accommodate more than 250 new jobs, as the workforce grows from 250 to about 500 employees. The expansion and addition of jobs should both be complete by the end of the year. The headquarters building houses professionals from various technical disciplines who support Entergy’s nuclear plants. Those include five reactors in Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas, plus merchant plants in the northeastern United States. Contact: Mark Sullivan, Entergy Nuclear, email: msulli5@entergy.com . Renewed Licenses The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has renewed operating licenses for Entergy’s two nuclear plants in Louisiana, River Bend Nuclear Station and Waterford 3 Steam Electric Station. The license renewals allow for continued safe, secure and reliable operations of Waterford 3 through 2044, and River Bend through 2045, two additional decades past the original licensing dates. The 974-megawatt River Bend facility and 1,159-megawatt Waterford unit are the largest sources of carbon-free power in Louisiana. Together, the plants generate more than 16 percent of the state’s electricity. In late December, Entergy and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission participated in signing ceremonies for River Bend, located in St. Francisville, and Waterford 3, based in Kilona. The license renewals are a result of intensive reviews and assessments to ensure the plants can continue to operate safely and reliably, and the protection of the environment can be assured during the 20-year period of extended operations. Renewing operation of the plants is another step toward Entergy maximizing its utility-region nuclear portfolio. Entergy Arkansas already has received license renewals for both units at Arkansas Nuclear One, and the company’s Mississippi-located plant, Grand Gulf Nuclear Station, secured its license renewal in 2016. Contact: Mark Sullivan, Entergy Nuclear, email: msulli5@entergy.com . Kaiga 1 Unit-1 of Kaiga Generating Station (KGS), India, registered 941 days of continuous operation on December 10, 2018, surpassing the earlier world record of 940 days held by Heysham-2 Unit-8 (610 MWe AGR) of UK. This landmark has demonstrated the nation’s capability in nuclear power generation technology of PHWR is fully matured. It evidences the excellent in design, construction, safety, quality and operation & maintenance practices of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL ) . KGS is a cluster of four indigenously developed Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors of 220 MW each. Two more indigenous reactors to be set up at the site, Kaiga 5&6 (2x700 MW) have been accorded administration approval and financial sanction by the Government. KGS-1 started commercial operation onNovember 16, 2000. During the present stint of continuous operation from May 13, 2016, the unit has generated about 5 billion units of electricity. Contact: NPCIL, telephone: (022- 25991215, email: aknema@npcil.co.in . Embalse Nuclear Power Plant The reactor of the Embalse Nuclear Power Plant is back in operation, after satisfactorily completing the Life Extension Project. Very soon it will again provide electricity to the grid. Nucleoeléctrica Argentina successfully reached at 14:00hs, the critically in the reactor of the Embalse Nuclear Power Plant, a technical term that refers to the first controlled nuclear chain reaction, the primary source of energy of the plant.