Both companies have just formalized an agreement through which, and exclusively, they will manufacture the fuel for the VVER-440 reactors.
ENUSA has launched all the necessary activities to reinstall the production line for this product in its Juzbado factory, which is expected to be completed and licensed throughout 2023.
Both companies have reached this agreement with the objective of allowing operators to diversify the collection of this nuclear fuel and reduce dependence on the current supplier.
ENUSA and Westinghouse Electric Sweden AB have formalized a cooperation agreement regarding the manufacturing of VVER-440 fuel.
This agreement, which came into force on December 1, establishes that, exclusively, Westinghouse and ENUSA will collaborate in the manufacture of VVER-440 fuel for the countries that currently operate this type of reactors.
The two companies have reached this agreement that will allow operators to diversify the collection of this nuclear fuel and reduce dependence on the current supplier, strategically complying with the will of the European Union to facilitate a real alternative in the supply of fuel.
The events of recent months have forced companies in the nuclear sector to carry out an in-depth analysis of the market situation and to adopt the necessary measures to guarantee the security of supply of nuclear fuel, for which both parties have formalized the announcement made during the World Nuclear Symposium in London last September.
During this meeting they already expressed their desire to establish greater and better cooperation as well as the need to address actions in an immediate and coordinated manner, so that current and potential customers could perceive the commitment to the safe supply of fuel.
Scope of the agreement and adaptation to the Juzbado factory
Through this agreement, Westinghouse and ENUSA will manufacture the fuel in their respective factories in Västerås, in Sweden, and Juzbado (Salamanca), in Spain, as supply contracts are formalized with the companies responsible for the management and operation of the reactors.
The agreement has a special impact on manufacturing activities and opens the door to collaborating in engineering and licensing activities as well as in service activities in plants, which will be specified based on the contracts that are formalized with the different clients.
Regarding manufacturing, ENUSA has launched all the necessary activities to reinstall the production line for this product in its Juzbado factory, which is expected to be completed and licensed throughout 2023, so that They could make fuel deliveries from the beginning of 2024.
Collaboration of ENUSA and Westinghouse throughout history
This cooperation is based on decades of joint supply in Europe, and specifically on the experience of fuel deliveries to the Loviisa plant in the first decade of the 21st century. Currently, the power companies that own the VVER-440 reactors are actively seeking security of supply with a Western alternative to the fuel supplied by the current supplier. Westinghouse provides the only fully Western option for manufacturing VVER fuel.
ENUSA and Westinghouse have been collaborating since 1974 with a fuel technology transfer agreement for pressurized water reactors (PWR), supporting nuclear power plants in Spain, Belgium and France, as well as in other countries. Through the association of ENUSA and the British BNFL (later Westinghouse), nearly 750 VVER-440 fuel elements have been delivered to the Loviisa nuclear power plant in Finland, between 2002 and 2007. Both companies already worked together on the ESSANUF project ( European Supply of Safe Nuclear Fuel) HORIZON 2020 in 2015-2017.
This previous experience of ENUSA has been highly valued both by Westinghouse, when formalizing this agreement with ENUSA, and by potential clients in this market since it represents a guarantee of the future success of these supplies.
