Lu-Ve in €27m deal to supply UK nuclear plant
23rd July 2024
ITALY: Lu-Ve is to supply air coolers to the latest Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant under construction in Somerset, UK, in a €27m contract.
The deal through Lu-Ve subsidiary Refrion was signed with the Nuclear New Build Generation Company through the UK contractor Bouygues Energies & Services. Supply of the first units will start next year.
The Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant, built by EDF Energy, is one of the largest projects ever undertaken in Europe.
Once completed, it will be capable of generating 3,260MW of electricity, providing 7% of the UK’s electricity consumption and contributing to Britain’s goal of obtaining zero-carbon electricity for about six million homes. with a saving of nine million tonnes of CO2 each year.
Lu-Ve’s systems, designed to withstand shock waves caused by explosions and earthquakes, will cool the emergency diesel generators (EDGs) located within the nuclear island of the power plant.
The generators are activated when the nuclear plant is disconnected from the grid, ensuring the power supply to critical components such as the reactor cooling system, which is necessary to ensure a controlled shutdown in an emergency.
The project involves the creation of air coolers with entirely copper coils and high-strength steel structures, equipped with motors and fans developed in collaboration with international players in the nuclear industry.
The components have been designed to last for the entire 60-year life cycle of the plant.
“Entering the nuclear sector, achieved through our subsidiary Refrion, is an important step in our growth path, which offers new opportunities in light of the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan just submitted by the Italian government to Brussels, aiming to achieve net zero emissions by 2050,” said Lu-Ve Group chairman and CEO Matteo Liberali.
