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| Pebble Bed Project Moves a Step Closer to Construction |
22 August 2008 - Back |
| Author/Source: |
PBMR Corporate Communications |
- Pretoria 22 August 2008 - South Africa’s Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) project has moved a step closer to the construction of a commercial scale power station at Koeberg near Cape Town with the signing of a contract for the provision of engineering, procurement, project and construction management (EPCM) services for the plant.
The contract was awarded to the joint venture company Murray & Roberts SNC-Lavalin Nuclear (Pty) Ltd (MRSLN).
The PBMR project entails the building of both the demonstration reactor project at Koeberg and a pebble fuel plant at Pelindaba near Pretoria. The current schedule is to start construction in 2010 and for the demonstration plant to be completed by 2014.
At the signing ceremony in Pretoria, Jaco Kriek, CEO of Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (Pty) Ltd, welcomed MRSLN as a valuable long-term partner. “As world leaders in the field of engineering, contracting and construction services, MRSLN's expertise is critical to the success of the demonstration reactor project. While the licencing and Environmental Impact Assessment process for the Demonstration Power Plant still need to be successfully completed, the signing of the EPCM contract represents a significant milestone for PBMR.”
He noted that there is increasing international interest in advanced Generation IV technology. “Our focus as a company is on developing and using this technology for the benefit of South Africa. We have already achieved many successes in this regard. We have created a large pool of intellectual resources locally and a sizeable world class company. As the signing of this contract shows, we partner with the best suppliers in the world. Globally, the work we are doing is having a significant impact.”
SNC-Lavalin (TSX:SNC) is one of the leading engineering and construction groups in the world and a major player in the ownership of infrastructure, and in the provision of operations and maintenance services. The SNC-Lavalin companies have offices across Canada and in over 35 other countries around the world and are currently working in some 100 countries. www.snclavalin.com
Murray & Roberts is South Africa’s leading engineering, contracting and construction services company, with a focus on the industry & mining, oil & gas, power & energy, building and infrastructure markets in Africa, Middle East, Southeast Asia, Australasia and North America. The company offers civil, mechanical, electrical, mining and process engineering; general building and construction; materials supply and services to the construction industry; and management of concession operations. More information is available at http://www.murrob.com
The PBMR Demonstration Power Plant will supply about 165 MWe (electrical) to South Africa’s national grid once in service. High temperature gas-cooled reactors, like the PBMR, are also a source of process heat that can be used to generate bulk hydrogen for a multitude of applications. MRSLN completed Phase I of the EPCM contract in June 2008. Phase II work began in July 2008 with an expected date of completion of the Demonstration Power Plant at Koeberg in September 2014.
“We are pleased with this opportunity to bring our international experience in ‘New Build’ Generation IV nuclear technology to this benchmark project,” said Patrick Lamarre, Executive Vice-President, SNC-Lavalin Group Inc., and President of SNC-Lavalin Nuclear. “We developed a good relationship with PBMR and Murray & Roberts on Phase I and look forward to working with them again on Phase II.” |
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