KONECRANES SIGNS MODERNIZATION CONTRACT WITH PALO VERDE NUCLEAR GENERATING STATION®
Konecranes signs modernization contract with Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station®
Konecranes was in May awarded a contract to modernize and thereby improve the safety and reliability of three (3) existing 225/35 ton polar cranes at the Arizona Public Service, Palo Verde Nuclear Generation Station. The first cranes will be installed in the fall of 2014 and the last in June 2015. The parties have agreed not to disclose the value of the order.
The Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station®, located in the Arizona desert approximately almost 90 kilometers west of downtown Phoenix, has since 1992 been the largest power producer of any kind in the United States. The facility is on 1,600 hectares of land and consists of three pressurized water reactors, each with an original generating capacity of 1.27 GW. The plant is a major source of power for Phoenix and Southern California, capable of serving about 4 million people.
“A key motivation for APS to modernize the cranes at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station was to improve the safety and reliability of their aged lifting equipment by implementing the latest Konecranes SUPERSAFETM patented single failure proof technology,” says Steve Waisanen, Head of Business Unit Nuclear at Konecranes. “There are approximately 440 nuclear reactors around the world with an average age of 22 to 25 years, and we are already involved in bidding several modernization projects globally as various international authorities and plant operators review their present and future safety needs”.
The scope of the modernization project includes design, engineering, fabrication, testing, delivery and installation of three new 225/35 ton Konecranes SUPERSAFE™ single failure proof hoists/trolleys, including controls for all crane motions, state of the art operator cabins and a number of safety and reliability improvements. Stringent quality requirements will be adhered to through implementation of Konecranes audited and approved nuclear quality control program in compliance with 10CFR50 Appendix B and NQA-1.
Konecranes 3rd generation SUPERSAFE™ single failure proof design has been accepted by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and is fully compliant with the most stringent worldwide single failure proof requirements including ASME NOG-1, NUREG-0554 and NUREG-0612.
SUPERSAFE™ crane systems are designed to withstand possible crane accidents. Another key safety feature of the single failure proof design is a dual load path lifting mechanism intended to prevent dropping of the load should there be a complete failure of either redundant wire rope. The hoisting system is also designed to safely lower a load, at a controlled speed, in the event of a complete loss of power.
Konecranes provides a full range of nuclear services and regulatory-approved overhead lifting equipment for nuclear power plants throughout the world for all types of nuclear lifting.
More information:
Press
Mikael Wegmüller, Vice President, Marketing & Communications
E-mail: mikael.wegmuller@konecranes.com or phone +358 20 427 2008
Analysts and investors:
Miikka Kinnunen, Director, Investor Relations
E-mail: miikka.kinnunen@konecranes.com or phone +358 20 427 2050
This press release is available at our website www.konecranes.com
Konecranes is a world-leading group of Lifting Businesses™, serving a broad range of customers, including manufacturing and process industries, shipyards, ports and terminals. Konecranes provides productivity-enhancing lifting solutions and services for lifting equipment of every make. In 2010, Group sales totaled EUR 1,546 million. The Group has 10,000 employees, at 578 locations in 46 countries. Konecranes is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki (symbol: KCR1V).