Doosan Emerges as Key Player in Global Nuclear Power Industry

‘Doosan will be the biggest beneficiary of the resurgence of the global nuclear power industry’

Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction has emerged as a major player in the global nuclear power industry, as the company is participating as part of a Korean consortium to export Korean-type nuclear power units to the United Arab Emirates. Doosan, a supplier of major nuclear equipment, including reactor vessels and steam generators, is expected to be the biggest beneficiary of the nuclear power deal from the UAE.
Given the fact that the supply of major nuclear power equipment accounts for more or less 25 percent of sales from landing a project to construct a nuclear power unit, Doosan could become the biggest beneficiary of the deal. If and when Korea sweeps all orders on 14 units from the UAE by 2030, projections show that Doosan would rake in an estimated 11.3 trillion won in sales, 2.3 trillion won in operating profit and 1.7 trillion won in net profit.
Prior to the UAE deal, Doosan made history in the Korean nuclear power industry last May when it delivered a nuclear reactor head and control rod control systems (CRCSs) for replacement of old facilities at the No. 2 reactor at the Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant in the United States.
This marks the first time Korea has exported a nuclear reactor head and CRCSs to the United States, which is a global nuclear powerhouse and an originator of many nuclear technologies. It is the fourth time Korea has exported nuclear power plant facilities to the United States since it first shipped a nuclear steam generator there in 1999.
The nuclear reactor head is the core equipment for the nuclear reactor, which is mounted at the top of a nuclear reactor to conduct various control functions by maintaining the internal pressure of the coolant. The CRCS is an electrical device for controlling the nuclear reaction, and each reactor head at the Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant is equipped with 89 CRCSs.

Doosan has proactively participated in nuclear power plant projects in the United States and has exported core equipment for nuclear power plants, which adopt the latest design and production technologies, a Doosan official said.
Doosan has made a strong showing in the business of manufacturing replacement equipment for plant life extension in the United States since September 1999 when it landed an order to supply a replacement steam generator for Sequoyah Nuclear Power Unit 1. Doosan has been recognized for its capability to produce major nuclear power equipment as it continues to land orders for replacement steam generators and reactor vessel closure heads from the United States.
These sales led to Doosan’s signing of deals to supply major equipment for the advanced nuclear power plant Generation III+ AP1000™ to the United States and China. Doosan has secured its competitive edge by landing an order in China as the first supplier of major equipment for the AP1000™ units in 2007. Furthermore, the company has signed a contract for technology transfer to support China’s localization goals and is strengthening its relationships with Chinese companies.
Doosan is currently striving to augment its position in the Chinese nuclear market by creating joint ventures with local companies. Doosan has cut a prominent figure in the domestic and overseas front, sweeping up orders on the first six AP1000™ units in the United States, which resumed construction of new nuclear units in 2008 for the first time in over 30 years, received orders from Japan in both 2007 and 2008 to supply casks, orders for replacement steam generators for Ulchin Nuclear Units 1&2 in 2008, and orders for major equipment for Shin-Ulchin Nuclear Units 1&2 in 2009.
Doosan is the nation’s only manufacturer of major equipment for nuclear power plants such as reactor vessels, steam generators and pressurizers. The localization of these systems started with production based on technologies imported from U.S. Combustion Engineering in the 1970s. Doosan raised the localization rate of nuclear power equipment production technology surging to a range of 60 percent during the “promotion of localization” period in the 1980s and it reached 95 percent during the “technology self reliance” period in the 1990s. Doosan started its role as the main contractor with Yongkwang units 3&4, supplying equipment to the first Korean Standard Nuclear Power Plant (KSNP), which is now known as OPR1000. The company, maintaining its role as the main contractor, has so far supplied equipment to eight nuclear power plants including Ulchin Nuclear Units 3~6 and Yongkwang units 5&6. It is now involved in the Shin-Kori Nuclear Units 1&2 project and the Shin-Wolsung Nuclear Units 1&2 project, which is using an upgraded version of OPR1000.
With experience gained from the application of copied replication technologies, Doosan has acquired independent technology in the field of nuclear equipment manufacturing. In collaboration with other nuclear related organizations, Doosan has developed the APR1400, the next-generation 1,400MW nuclear power plant, which is the identical model to be employed for the UAE nuclear deal, and is now manufacturing major equipment for Shin-Kori Nuclear Units 3&4.
Doosan is working on the localization of the Man-Machine Interface System and the reactor coolant pump (RCP), which has to date been supplied by Westinghouse of the United States, under a government-financed task for achieving full self-reliance in the nuclear power technology sector.
Doosan’s achievement of landing such orders in recent years is the result of the global recognition of Doosan’s capability and 30 years of experience in the nuclear equipment manufacturing field. Capitalizing on such recognition, Doosan is putting more energy into exploring foreign markets and diversifying its product portfolio.
Doosan has global technological leadership in the casting & forging field with massive manufacturing facilities in Korea and Romania. Doosan makes casting and forging products for shipbuilding, power generation and general industries and excels in all areas including the quality of materials, features and configuration. Its five world-class products include the crank shaft, plastic mould steel, work roll, stern frame and hydroelectric mill.
The global nuclear power industry suffered a setback for the past 20 years, as there was a global moratorium on nuclear reactor construction, but Doosan has acquired plentiful expertise and experiences while implementing nuclear power plants in Korea, Doosan officials said. They noted that since few countries have the capability to supply materials related to nuclear power and have large-sized material technology, Doosan will be the biggest beneficiary of the resurgence of the global nuclear power industry. nw

Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction celebrates the completion of a nuclear reactor head and control rod control systems produced for replacement of old facilities at the No. 2 reactor at the Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant in the United States.