In partnership with Westinghouse Electric Spain (WES), EDF has been awarded a contract that was put out for tender on 5 May 2017 by ENRESA, Spain’s national agency in charge of radioactive waste management and the decommissioning of nuclear sites. The contract entails the provision of engineering services for the dismantling of unit 1 at Vandellòs[i] nuclear power station (Hospitalet de l’Infant, Spain) for a duration of four years.
Both companies will provide ENRESA with engineering services in order to keep Vandellòs gas-cooled reactor in a safe state after it was permanently shut down in 1989.
Sylvain Granger, EDF Director of Decommissioning and Waste-Management Projects: "With 9 dismantling projects underway in France, 6 of which involve gas-cooled reactors, EDF possesses unique expertise in this field and is aspiring to become a leader on the emerging dismantling market. We are proud to be working with WES on the Vandellòs project and to be providing ENRESA with the best practices developed during our dismantling projects".
Yves Brachet, Westinghouse Vice-President: "This contract is an opportunity to work together with EDF, who is facing similar challenges in France. It also highlights our expertise and our ability to come up with innovative decommissioning solutions".
[i] Vandellòs is a gas-cooled reactor which operated from 1972 to 1989. It started being dismantled in 1994.