Spain: AREVA reinforces its collaboration in engineering and maintenance services with CNAT Utility

January 12, 2017

AREVA NP signed a long-term contract with the Spanish utility CNAT, Centrales Nucleares Almaraz-Trillo. Until 2024, AREVA NP will provide engineering support and outage maintenance services to Trillo nuclear power plant. This contract could be supplemented depending on the extension of the service life of the power plant.

Additionally, AREVA will provide chemical services to Almaraz NPP in the upcoming years, with the aim to support CNAT with world class care for Almaraz NPP steam generators.

For Nicolas Maes, Vice President of AREVA NP's Installed Base Business Unit, 'The long-term collaboration established with CNAT in the eighties while constructing the Trillo power plant was then extended to maintenance and projects of plant modernization as well as fuel supply. This new long-term contract renews it and we are proud to be given the opportunity to continue to support CNAT Trillo Power plant in the safe and reliable operation for another 8 years. Besides, we are developing projects for Almaraz plant, the other CNAT nuclear power plant, further strengthening the partnership between our two companies.'

Furthermore, AREVA NP successfully implemented the modernization of the Aeroball Measurement System (AMS)* of the reactor. This two-year project included engineering services, equipment supply and installation on site.

Eduardo Lasso de la Vega, CNAT General Manager, declared: 'I wanted to thank and congratulate AREVA NP's team for the successful implementation of the new Aeroball Measurement System at Trillo NPP. In a complex environment like the one we're living in nuclear, it's a real satisfaction for me and all CNAT team, to have a new proof of AREVA NP capabilities and the willingness to support us.'

* AREVA NP's AMS is a neutron flux mapping system that allows the plant operator to gain a 3D snapshot of the reactor core conditions in any kind of plant operation mode. It is based on movable vanadium alloyed steel balls (aeroballs). These balls are pneumatically inserted into a large number of specific core locations for a brief period for activation, removed from the core, and their activation rates are measured subsequently. The results reflect the local neutron flux in the core and are used as input for the core monitoring system.