We are pleased to welcome Brazil’s Angra 1 & 2 and Spain’s Cofrentes nuclear power plants to our ranks of international clients who have selected Holtec’s technology through rigorous international tendering processes. The map below shows an updated list of sites deploying Holtec’s dry storage and transport technologies and services, now spanning five continents.
Brazil’s Eletronuclear (ETN), the plants’ owner, awarded a turnkey contract to Holtec that includes the supply of HI-STORM FW systems and related equipment for dry storage of Angra-1 and Angra-2 spent nuclear fuel. Modifications to the cask handling cranes and loading services to canisterize the fuel and move the multi- purpose canisters (MPC’s) to the dry storage facility that will be designed and built by Holtec under the contract. While co-located at the Almirante Álvaro Alberto Nuclear Power Station (CNAAA), the Angra-1 (Westinghouse design) and Angra-2 (Siemens design) have different architectures and licensing bases, adding to the complexity of the project. Despite these differences, Holtec’s innovative implementation plan will allow commonalty between much of the equipment and operational procedures. Angra-1 benefited from Holtec’s densified wet storage racks in the mid-1990s, which have supported the continued operation of the units since that time. The dry storage facility will now serve as a complementary solution for spent fuel management at the CNAAA and, with the spent fuel storage solution solved with safe and efficient technology, the project is expected to garner support for future nuclear projects in Brazil. The HI-STORM FW is already being used at eight plants in the United States and at Laguna Verde in Mexico and Krško in Slovenia.
The Cofrentes cask order was placed by ENRESA, a long-term client of Holtec for dry storage and transport systems. ENRESA was the first client to implement Holtec’s canister-based systems outside of the USA, with prior orders for Jose Cabrera and Ascó nuclear power plants. The order for Cofrentes is for dual-purpose storage and transport casks that will be used in the near-term for onsite storage and then integrated into ENRESA’s fleet for transport casks for movement of fuel to their centralized interim storage facility (ATC). Constrained by handling limitations at the plant, the cask for Cofrentes is a lighter and lower capacity version of the “HI-STAR 180” series of casks, two models of which have been licensed by the NRC in the past decade and are earmarked for use in Switzerland and Belgium (a third model of this cask series is under development for Liebstadt in Switzerland). The HI-STAR model for Cofrentes will be licensed directly for storage and transport by the Spanish Competent Authorities.
Holtec’s VP of International Projects, Dr. Rick Springman, recognizing the extremely tight performance schedule for both projects, stated “the main schedule challenge for new international dry storage facilities is the licensing process, but for both projects the proven designs and prior licensing pedigree of our technology is expected to support timely regulatory approval in-country, allowing implementation according to the committed schedule.”
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