Shortage of cooling water is becoming a growing threat to continued operation of riverside power plants, most starkly illustrated by the widely reported potential shutdown of Hungary’s four-unit 2,000-MWe PAKS I nuclear plant caused by historically low water levels in the Danube River. Romania’s navy is blasting a rock outcropping near the country’s sole nuclear plant Cernavoda, also on the Danube, to increase water flow after one of the plant’s two reactors was shut down for lack of cooling water. Several nuclear plants in France have shut down due to unusually high river temperatures.
To help the power generation industry meet demand for air-cooled condenser technology (ACCs), Holtec Asia has doubled the capacity of its Dahej manufacturing plant in the past year. A further expansion of this manufacturing capacity is currently planned, with additional capacity expected to come online in the next two years.
Air-cooled condensers reject the power plant’s waste heat directly into the atmosphere rather than relying on large volumes of cooling water. Steam exhausted from the turbine is condensed inside finned-tube modules as ambient air is drawn across them by large fans. This technology enables power generation at sites where water availability, water temperature, or environmental restrictions may limit the use of conventional water-cooled systems.
In most cases, the electric power output of the plant will slightly decline if air cooling is employed in lieu of conventional water cooling. The ACC solution also requires increased capital cost compared to water cooling. However, we believe it provides important environmental advantages because it eliminates heating of water in the rivers and lakes that host power plants, some of which are home to ecologically fragile aquatic species.
The photo above shows a convoy of trucks transporting Holtec’s HI-MAX air-cooled condenser bundles, fabricated at Holtec Asia’s Dahej, India, manufacturing facility, to new power plants being built by the Indian multinational Larsen & Toubro (L&T) for the National Thermal Power Corp. (NTPC), India’s largest power generator. Holtec is supplying ACC systems for five 800-MW generating units. These power plants will rely exclusively on air-cooled condensers to reject waste heat, eliminating the need for water-based cooling.
Holtec’s SMR-300 small modular reactor is offered with air cooling as an alternative, rejecting the waste heat directly into the atmosphere. With this unique feature, our SMR-300 does not need to be sited next to a water body unlike typical power plants and is designed for deployment in the most arid regions of the world and expanding the number of suitable sites for deployment. “To address environmental concerns, Holtec’s air-cooled condenser technology is available to all other nuclear plant developers and owners upon request,” says Joy Russell, Holtec’s Executive Vice-President, Business Development and Chief Communications Officer.
For additional information Holtec’s air-cooled condenser technology, please visit Holtec’s website www.holtecinternational.com.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the Company’is s planned expansion of ACC manufacturing capacity, the expected timing for additional capacity to come online and the potential applications and deployment of the SMR-300 using air-cooled condenser technology. Forward-looking statements involve risks, contingencies, and uncertainties, which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control. The forward-looking statements in this post speak only as of the date of this post. We undertake no obligation to update these statements unless required by law, and we caution you not to place undue reliance on them.
About Holtec
Holtec is a U.S.-headquartered, multinational technology company focused on clean energy, with its principal business centered on nuclear power generation and an expanding presence in adjacent clean energy generation solutions and long-duration energy storage. The Company is the owner/developer of the SMR-300 advanced small modular reactor featuring passive safety systems, and currently expects the first two units to be deployed at the Company-owned Palisades site in Michigan. Holtec is also refurbishing the Palisades nuclear power plant, which would be the first commercial nuclear reactor in the United States to be repowered after permanent shutdown. Holtec is the NRC-authorized Operator for the Palisades plant.
The Company’s business profile is distinguished by the ownership of nearly 220 granted patents, a substantial portfolio of proprietary technologies and trade secrets, three large U.S.-based manufacturing facilities for nuclear fabrication and operations on five continents. The Company has provided products and services to a client base of more than 150 nuclear reactors worldwide. Holtec’s technical capabilities include reactor design, reactor operations, engineering, licensing, manufacturing, construction, commissioning, and decommissioning services. As such, Holtec believes that it is well-positioned to help catalyze the growth of the nuclear power industry in the U.S. and around the world. The Company is also expanding its activities in solar energy and long-duration energy storage technologies intended to enhance renewable energy reliability and complement its SMR-300 product line.
You must be logged in to post a comment.