Scottish engineering services giant Wood Group has won a £10 million contract as sole supplier of inspection qualification services to the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in England.
EDF Energy, the French state-owned nuclear power developer, has commissioned Wood’s Inspection Validation Centre (IVC) to qualify ultrasonic inspections on high integrity welds in primary circuit components for the two 1.6GW reactors.
The new contract work will create a total of 35 new jobs at Wood Group’s IVC works in Warrington.
Robin Watson, chief executive of the predominantly North Sea oil and gas-focused Wood Group – said: “Our role is to independently check the inspection methods – and assess and qualify the inspectors who will apply them – to ensure that they can detect any defects that could compromise the structural integrity of critical reactor components during the plant’s lifetime.
“Our certificated, independent accredited service forms part of the safety case for Hinkley Point C and enables our customer to satisfy the UK nuclear regulator’s requirements on inspection qualification. This contract advances our strategy to secure key positions in independent validation and equipment qualification services for UK new build programmes.”
Meanwhile, the Brit-govt has announced up to £4 million of funding for feasibility projects for advanced modular nuclear reactors. Up to £40 million of further funding may be available for development, subject to government approval.
The stiff criteria set by BEIS to lead a project require that applicants need a viable route to market with their ‘pocket-sized’ nuclear reactor.
The only other criteria which applicants must demonstrate are:
- be an organisation of any size or type
- work with others as subcontractors
To apply:
8 Dec 2017
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