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The U.S. Nuclear Renaissance: Forging Ahead

By Kevin McCoy
UniStar Nuclear made a weighty announcement today:
AREVA NP Inc. and BWX Technologies, Inc. ... have signed an agreement that will re-establish commercial nuclear power plant component manufacturing in the United States and will support the UniStar business model and future fleet of nuclear power plants in North America. The agreement between the two nuclear technology development and manufacturing leaders is a major link in the UniStar supply chain. It will result in the ability to manufacture components for UniStar's fleet of U.S. Evolutionary Power Reactor (U.S. EPR) advanced nuclear power plants, as well as commercial nuclear plant replacement components for operating North American plants.

The BWXT plant is in Mount Vernon, in the extreme southwest corner of Indiana. It has access to the Ohio River, so it is convenient for barge shipment of heavy components to much of the central U.S.

With all the excitement about early site permits and design certifications, it is easy to forget that construction of a nuclear power plant requires "big iron" (actually steel), huge forgings and weldments that are made to exacting specifications. The press release notes that "global supply of forgings and major components for new plants may well become an issue." What an understatement! I understand that the lead time for a set of steam generators is currently six to seven years. Fortunately, the press release also says that the plant "could begin manufacturing commercial nuclear components as early as 2006." That's none too soon! It looks as if the Mount Vernon plant will be a busy place.

POSTSCRIPT: Back in April, we mentioned that BWXT had been awarded the "N" stamp to produce commercial nuclear grade components. In June, we pointed to a story in the Indiana press that speculated on the future of the company, and what it might mean for its hometown's future.

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