2 Jun (NucNet): Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) of Japan said today that it had agreed to work with Spanish engineering company Iberdrola Ingenieria y Construccion in bidding for the potential construction of its modified advanced pressurised water reactor (APWR) design in some European countries.
MHI said in Tokyo that the joint initiative "aims to accelerate market penetration" of its 1,700 megawatt-electric (MWe) EU-APWR design, which is targeted towards major European utilities. Both companies have already signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to cooperate on an exclusive basis for the design qualification process to a European utility.
The agreement marks MHI's first collaborative partnership with a European company relating to the EU-APWR. Based on the MOU, MHI will be responsible for the overall engineering, major components and equipment of plants built, while Iberdrola Ingenieria will take charge of installation work and design, procurement and commissioning of nuclear islands.
Iberdrola Ingenieria, founded in 1995, is a subsidiary company of Iberdrola and serves as the hub of the group's engineering and construction business. MHI developed the EU-APWR based on the 1,538 MWe APWR planned for units 3 and 4 of the Japan Atomic Power Company's Tsuruga nuclear power plant. "Design changes were made to reflect European regulations and the demand of EU customers for enhanced operating performance," said MHI, which is conducting a feasibility study of the EU-APWR for compliance with European safety requirements.
Specifications of the EU-APWR were presented to utility representatives at a technical seminar in Belgium in March 2008.
>>Related reports in the NucNet database (available to subscribers)
Work Starts On Japan’s Tsuruga-3 and -4 APWRs (News in Brief No. 27, 8 September 2004)
Japan Presents ‘EU-APWR’ Design For European Market (News No. 19, 18 March 2008)
