Framatome ANP Canada, Ltd., a new subsidiary of Framatome ANP, Inc. will focus on the Canadian nuclear services market. This market has 14 nuclear reactors, all CANDU designs, currently operating. All but two of the operating reactors are owned by Ontario Power Generation Inc. Four operating reactors, and another four being refurbished, are located at the Pickering site, while another four operating reactors are located at the Darlington site, both within 50 miles of Toronto.

The subsidiary initially will market products and services supplied by all regions of Framatome ANP, including the US, France and Germany. Over the long term, the Canadian subsidiary will transfer technology from the three regions to Canada and perform services utilizing that technology with an all-Canadian workforce.

"The Canadian market presents Framatome ANP with unique challenges and unique opportunities," said Tom Christopher, President and CEO of Framatome ANP in the US. "We look forward to servicing the Canadian nuclear industry."

Framatome ANP's subsidiary intelligeNDT received an order from Atomstroyexport (Russia) to supply a complete system for eddy-current inspection of steam generator tubes to the Chinese nuclear power plant Tianwan (Model VVER-1000). In addition to a remote-controlled, modular manipulator for the steam generator collectors, the contract also covered the supply of all eddy-current testing equipment including the probes. Acceptance testing of the inspection system at the factory was performed in May 2002, and afterwards the equipment was shipped to Tianwan. At a later date, the manipulator will be supplemented with a system for performing ultrasonic inspections on the circumferential welds of the collectors and repair modules for remote-controlled plugging of defective tubes.

An inspection system of identical design was previously delivered to the Russian steam generator manufacturer ZIOMAR in November 2000. ZIOMAR will be using this system to inspect the steam generators which it is manufacturing for Tianwan before they are shipped to the plant.

Commercial Operation of Ling Ao 1

Unit 1 at Ling Ao started commercial operation 48 days ahead of schedule on May 28. This success is due to the close cooperation between Ling Ao Nuclear Power Company (LANPC), the owner and operator of the Nuclear Power Plant, Framatome ANP and its Chinese partners.

Framatome ANP's contribution included the supply of two 1000 MWe nuclear islands, manufacture of the first nuclear fuel load, extension of the technological transfer program, and carrying out an ambitious plan in which the nuclear equipment was fabricated by Chinese manufacturers. Framatome ANP also provided technical assistance with assembly and start-up tests.

Construction for Unit 1 began in May 1997 with nuclear island assembly taking place in January 1999. Fuel loading began on December 8, 2001 and first criticality was reached on February 4, 2002.

Ling Ao

Unit 2 at Ling Ao also is ahead of schedule. The fuel assemblies and the associated components of the first core were delivered to the site on May 24, 2002. Commercial operation is scheduled for March 2003.

The fuel fabrication plant of Advanced Nuclear Fuels (ANF) in Lingen (ANF is a 100% subsidiary of Framatome ANP) recently was granted a new license under the German Atomic Energy Act allowing it to process up to 500 tons of uranium hexafluoride (UF₆) per annum into uranium dioxide (UO₂) powder and pellets. ANF now is authorized to make full use of the processing capacities that already were available in its UO₂ powder and pellet production lines. This new license will enable the fuel fabrication facility to respond to the higher demand for UF₆ conversion services.

The new license also permits ANF to import up to 50 tU/a in the form of Enriched Reprocessed Uranium (ERU) pellets for fuel rod and fuel assembly fabrication.

Lingen's PWR and BWR fuel rod and fuel assembly production lines are licensed to process a total of 650 tU/a. In addition to the 500 tons of uranium powder and pellets produced on site, the plant can import up to150 tons of pellets.

The license to process ERU pellets - which are to be procured from MSZ Elektrostal in Russia - provides greater flexibility and dependability for supplying ERU fuel assemblies to customers in Germany, Sweden and Switzerland.

The 23rd FROG Steering Committee Meeting

The 23rd FROG Steering Committee Meeting was held on May 16 and 17, 2002 in Erlangen (Germany) in the Framatome ANP offices (See photo bottom of page 3). The Framatome Owners Group members are the utilities Electricité de France (EDF, France), Electrabel (Belgium), ESKOM (South Africa), Guangdong Nuclear Power Joint Venture Company (GNPJVC) and Ling Ao Nuclear Power Company (LANPC, both China), KHNP (South Korea) and Ringhals AB (Sweden).

The FROG Steering Committee meeting agenda included a review of key issues at FROG members' plants, identification of personnel and environmental issues, release and waste regulation changes and specific presentations on the innovative features of the maintenance contract with British Energy for Sizewell B; and lessons learned from reactor coolant system (RCS) materials experience feedback in US PWRs. FROG activities and issues (documentation, relations with other entities, and budgets...) were reviewed in detail. The German regional company of Framatome ANP made presentations on optimization of conventional island, hydrogen management in containment and on the Technical Center facilities that were visited on the second day. Vincent Maurel, President of Framatome ANP, was the guest of honor at the official dinner on May 16th.

On May 15th 2002, some FROG members visited the Neckar 2 Nuclear Power Plant, one of the three Konvoi type nuclear power plants in Germany, operating on six-month fuel cycles. Its outage duration is five to seven days only. As part of the tour, participants visited the reactor containment with the plant at full power.

Channel Stripping Machines Upgraded at Isar 1

In the spring of 2001, Framatome ANP upgraded the two channel stripping machines at the German BWR unit of Isar 1. The supplies comprised two new hoists with brand new operating and safety control equipment based on SIMATIC S7 programmable controllers together with all necessary accessories. In addition, the company's services included installation and initial startup of the equipment in situ. Channel stripping machines are used at BWR plants for installing fuel channels on new fuel assemblies (called "channeling") and for removing them from spent fuel assemblies ("dechanneling").

The new equipment had become necessary as a result of changes in the requirements specified in the German KTA Nuclear Safety Standards (demand for a higher degree of safety on the part of the hoist ropes and brakes). The lead time for delivery was approximately 18 months.

Due to the excellent performance of the two upgraded channel stripping machines at Isar 1, Framatome ANP has been awarded an order for a similar scope of supplies and services for the German BWR unit, Philippsburg 1.

Framatome ANP has been awarded three separate orders by the operator of Switzerland's PWR plant Gšsgen. They cover the supply of fuel reloads, upgrading the pressurizer valve station (see article "Overpressure Protection System to be Upgraded at Gösgen in Switzerland" on Page 16) and the design and construction of an at-reactor independent wet spent fuel storage facility.

The fuel reloads will be delivered from 2004 to 2006. They will comprise FOCUS fuel assemblies using enriched reprocessed uranium (ERU) that have been fabricated like the recent reloads to Framatome ANP's specifications by the Russian subcontractor, Mashinostroitelny Zavod (MSZ). These fuel assemblies ensure trouble-free operation together with high fuel utilization.

The at-reactor independent wet storage facility will greatly increase the plant's interim storage capacity for spent fuel. Equipped with a passive cooling system, the new storage facility will be able to accommodate up to 1000 fuel assemblies. Startup is scheduled for the middle of 2006.

Front row (left to right): Frank Berger, Ralf Güldner (Framatome ANP), Rolf Bodmer, Hans Fuchs (Kernkraftwerk Gösgen-Däniken, KKG). Back row (left to right): Reinhold Klaus, Tilo Landgraf, Manfred Blank (Framatome ANP), Urs Appenzeller, Michael Delannay (KKG).

Sizewell B completed its statutory outage on May 29, 2002 when turbine 2 was synchronized to the grid. This outage was the first performed by a consortium, composed of Framatome ANP as a leader and Alstec and Mitsui-Babcock, under a contract signed in 2001 and was completed in 30 days, 10.5 hours. This beats the unit's previous best of 46+ days by 16 days. In addition, there were no events and no lost-time accidents, making this outage one of the best safety performances.

Sizewell B

The consortium won a long-term contract in 2001 with British Energy's Sizewell B, for maintenance and refueling services. Framatome ANP's contractual responsibilities include site/outage management, refueling work, steam generator work, valve and pump work, reactor coolant pump (RCP) work and rod cluster control assemblies (RCCA) inspections.

On April 30, 2002, Framatome ANP completed its purchase of the formerly known Duke Engineering and Services (DE&S). The organization, called Framatome ANP DE&S, will maintain its headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina.

"This acquisition reinforces our engineering strengths and balances our resources in France, Germany and the United States," said Vincent Maurel, President of Framatome ANP.

Tom Christopher, President and CEO of Framatome ANP, Inc., commented, "These are exciting times for our company as we enhance our reputation of being a 'window on the world' for our customers... This expanded competence enables us to emphasize Framatome ANP's well-established commitment to do whatever it takes to deliver the best solutions at the highest possible value."

New Training Facility at Lynchburg

Ground was broken on March 30, 2002 for the Framatome ANP Nuclear Training Center at Lynchburg, VA, to be completed in January 2003. It is the centerpiece of an extensive training program developed by the company to build a force of skilled nuclear maintenance technicians to address industry needs.

This 27,000 square-foot (2508m2) facility will house training classrooms, office space and full-scale mock-ups of a reactor vessel head, fuel-handling crane and other heavy equipment. In addition, there will be a water-filled reactor vessel pit for wet-fuel movement training.

The facility will be used to train local workers as well as personnel from nuclear utilities, to qualify technicians from Framatome ANP's French and German regions to US standards and to cross-train Framatome ANP's US workers. In addition, in collaboration with a local community college, Framatome ANP has developed a degree program whereby students will earn an Associates Degree in Applied Science in Nuclear Support Technologies from that college.

Local and state representatives were on hand to assist Framatome ANP leaders as they broke ground on the new Technical Training Center in Lynchburg.