Velan wins $55 million fluid handling contract at Hinkley C nuclear plant

Canadian company Velan has won contracts worth $55 million (€64 million) to supply safety related valves for third generation nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point C in the UK.

Velan will provide NNB Generation, a subsidiary of French-British power utility EDF, and Areva NP, nuclear valves to equip the primary and safety auxiliary systems of the two new generation EPR reactors at the Hinkley C nuclear power plant.

Given the go ahead in 2016, Hinkely Point C is a new nuclear power plant being built next to two existing facilities (Hinkley A and B). Set to begin generating electricity in 2025, the ten year construction project is a joint venture between EDF and the Chinese CGN group. According to EDF, Hinkley Point C will be the biggest construction site in Europe.

Velan will supply valves critical to the project, including high pressure gate valves and globe valves, manually or electrically operated, as well as check valves. They’ll contribute to the safe operation of the reactor by isolating or controlling all primary fluids within the plant’s nuclear island. These valves would help in shutting down or controlling the reactor in accidental or post-accidental conditions,

Founded in Montreal in 1950, Velan has gained a great deal of experience in dealing with nuclear projects in recent years, deploying its technology in over 350 reactors around the world.

“Most of the new nuclear projects around the world are of advanced, Generation 3 design, which requires increasingly reliable and proven valve equipment. Thanks to Velan's long experience in this extremely demanding industry, our group is ideally positioned to offer high- quality products that fulfill our customers' stringent safety requirements at the lowest cost possible. We are also very proud to share our technical expertise with EDF and AREVA’s, which are historic and renowned players in the field," said Yves Leduc, president and CEO of Velan.