Doosan Localizes Nuke
Power Plant Control Technology

Company wins series of nuke reactor supply orders from U.S. and China


Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction Co. has been able to localize the control system of a nuclear power plant 100 percent. The company on June 22 held a test-run of the MMIS(man-machine interface system) and declared its complete independence in nuclear power plant technology. Since building and operating the Kori No.1 nuke power plant in 1978, the nuke power industry has been making efforts to localize the technologies related to production and operation of a nuke power plant. In the '90s, Doosan Heavy began to export nuke steam generators and the Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co. has been exporting nuke plant maintenance technologies. But they have not been able to localize the control system of nuke power plants until now.
Doosan Heavy has thus been awarded with second AP1000TM project in the United States in less than a month since winning the major equipment supply contract for the first two units AP1000TM in the United States.
The company won on May 8 the contract to supply equipment to new nuclear power plants to be built in the state of Georgia in the United States. The company said it won another nuclear supply equipment contract approximately worth 200 billion won from Westinghouse Electric Co. to be used for nuclear power plants to be built in Georgia in the U.
S. AP100oTM is an advanced Pressurized Water Reactor developed by Westinghouse and has been certified by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Doosan Heavy has been strengthening its long-term relationship with Westinghouse. The company thought it needed to have a closer relationship with the U.S. nuclear power plant equipment maker after winning a number of nuke power plant equipment contracts with such nuke power plants in China as Sanmen & Halyang nuke power plants, followed by the recently announced new AP1000TM in the U.S., which gave Doosan an advantageous position to win more nuke equipment supply contracts in the U.S.
"Doosan has been selected to supply major equipment to all 4 units of U.S. AP1000TMs,"said Kim Tae-woo, executive vice president and head of nuke business group of Doosan. He further said the company will speed up its advancement to overseas new nuke market and consolidate its position as major nuke equipment provider.
Doosan has been able to build up its reputation as major nuke equipment provider in the U.S. nuke market since supplying its replacement steam generator for Sequoyah unit 1 of TVA in 1999. As a result, the company was chosen to supply replacement equipment for TVA's Watts bar, Entergy's ANO-2 and Arizona Public Service Co." Palo Verde projects.
In the meantime, Doosan Heavy announced it signed an MOU with Chinese National Nuclear Corp.(CNNC) on May 28 in Beijing on cooperation in nuclear power projects in China. The signing took place in the presence of Minister Lee Youn-ho of the Ministry of Knowledge and Economy and Vice Chairman Lee Nam-doo of Doosan Heavy, Vice President Yang Changli of CNNC,
and a number of other government officials and company representatives from both countries.
The MOU will allow Doosan to fully cooperate on upcoming projects for the construction of numerous next-generation nuke power plants in China and CNNC,s projects in Southeast Asia and Africa where China has vested interests.
CNNC is the largest government-run company in China and it commissions the most number of nuke power plants as it plans to build more than three nuke power plants a year until 2020.
EVP Kim of Doosan Heavy Nuclear Power Plant BG, said the MOU will help Doosan to establish a more stable footing in the Chinese nuke power market for the future, boosting the company's share of the nuke power market in China and in the process build a reputation as a major supplier of main nuke power equipment.
The company has already supplied major nuke power plant parts including steam generators for the Phase II nuclear power plant in 1997, reactor for the Qinsan Phase II in 2005, and the AP1000TM for the Sanmen nuclear power plant last year which is China's first nuke power plant using the latest generation reactor.
Doosan also won a contract in July last year to supply main equipment for China's first 3rd generation nuke power plant.
Doosan continues to win orders in the global nuke power plant market as it was awarded a contract in May 8 to supply main equipments to a number of nuke power plants being built in the U.S.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, some 26 countries plan to build nuke power plants, totaling 230, which comes to 460 trillion won in value. There would be additional work if nuke power plants are exported such designing, construction, maintenance, among others. nw

A steam generator supplied by Doosan Heavy to Sequoyah nuclear power plant in the United States in 1999.

Kim Tae-woo, executive vice president of Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction

(photos from left) An inside view of Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction Changwon plant.: A machine shop of the plant.