atw 2018-04v6

atw Vol. 63 (2018) | Issue 4 ı April
266
NEWS
Company News
Framatome Completes
Purchase of Schneider
Electric’s Instrumentation and
Control Nuclear Business
(framatome) Framatome announced
that it completed its purchase of
Schneider Electric’s nuclear instrumentation
and control offering. With
this transaction, Framatome adds to
its engineering expertise and expands
its instrumentation and control (I&C)
offerings.
I&C systems are the central nervous
system of a nuclear power plant,
allowing operators to control reactor
operations. Modernizations, upgrades
and ongoing support are vital to manage
economic, long-term operation of
nuclear power plants, which provide
reliable, low-carbon electricity.
“With the integration of Schneider
Electric’s nuclear instrumentation
and control offering, we offer truly
added value to our customers with
a global technical expertise and
market know-how on I&C solutions
for the nuclear market,” said Bernard
Fontana, Chairman of the Managing
Board and Chief Executive Officer of
Framatome. “We welcome our new
colleagues to Framatome’s worldwide
team of I&C engineers and experts.”
This acquisition adds the nuclearqualified
version of Tricon and the
SPEC 200 platform to Framatome’s
nuclear safety I&C offerings, which
include the TELEPERM XS digital
platform, and non-computerized
analog solutions and instrumentation
for nuclear power plants.
This broadens the base of plants
worldwide for which Framatome
serves as the original equipment manufacturer
for safety I&C systems. It also
expands Framatome’s project and
engineering capacities for non-safety
I&C systems in the nuclear energy
market, relying on Schneider Electric’s
commercial TRICON and Foxboro
platforms.
Framatome also becomes the exclusive
service provider to the nuclear energy
market for the SPEC 200, nuclearqualified
Tricon and Foxboro systems.
| | www.framatome.com
Framatome Continues
Ramping up Production
at Its Le Creusot Site
(framatome) On January 25, 2018,
Framatome received the green light
from the French Nuclear Safety
Authority (ASN) and EDF to resume
manufacture of forgings for the
French nuclear fleet at its Le Creusot
site. This decision allows the plant to
continue ramping up its production
with a target of 80 ingots per year.
The authorization is an outcome of
the improvement plan launched at the
beginning of 2016 on the site following
a series of quality audits. With the completion
of all the actions necessary for
the resumption of production for the
French nuclear fleet and overall progress
of 90% to date, the plan will be
fully closed out in the first half of 2018.
The actions will then be incor porated
into the site’s continuous improvement
processes. Customers in France and
abroad, as well as all the safety
authorities concerned, have been kept
regularly informed of the actions
undertaken. Numerous reviews and
inspections have been conducted in order
to observe the progress of the plan
and integrate stakeholders’ feedback.
David Emond, Senior Executive
Vice President of Framatome’s Component
Manufacturing Business Unit,
comments: “The authorization to
resume manufacture of forgings for
the French nuclear fleet is a very
good news for the site that confirms
the successful execution of its improvement
plan. The 230 employees
at the Le Creusot site are engaged
in its deployment on a day to day basis
so that we can supply our customers
with equipment meeting the most
stringent safety and quality requirements
within agreed deadlines. I
want to thank them for the substantial
work they have accomplished on
the site over the last two years.”
Maintaining and developing the
skills of the Le Creusot plant teams
is a key element of the site’s improvement
plan, with a particular focus
on strengthening the nuclear safety
culture.
Framatome already invested
7.5 million euros at the site in 2017
to make the Le Creusot site a center
of excellence for the manufacture
of forgings for the nuclear industry,
and will pursue this effort in 2018.
Major milestone reached
in review of manufacturing
records
Moreover, a major milestone has
been reached in the review of legacy
manufacturing records at the Le
Creusot site. The first stage in the
inspection process which is being
applied to all records relating to
forgings produced for the nuclear
industry, a key stage consisting in
identifying findings, is now complete.
The analysis of these findings and the
processing of deviations will continue
until the end of 2018, in coordination
with customers and safety authorities.
Of the 6,000 records identified
during the initial survey, 3,854 correspond
to forgings installed on nuclear
installations.
At Framatome’s Jeumont and
Saint-Marcel sites, the audit has been
finalized since the summer of 2017 and
no deviation impacting the safety of
components has been brought to light.
| | www.framatome.com
JNFL and MHI Become
Shareholders of
Orano 2017 Revenue
(orano) The Orano Board of Directors
noted the completion of the capital
increase reserved for Japan Nuclear
Fuel Limited (JNFL) and Mitsubishi
Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) for
a total of €500 million.
Pursuant to the initial agreements
signed with JNFL and MHI in
March 2017, the funds corresponding
to their total investment in Orano
had been placed in trust on July 26,
at the same time as the completion
of the capital increase reserved for
French State 2. These funds were
released and used for the subscription
of JNFL and MHI to Orano’s second
capital increase.
This transaction follows the
completion on December 31, 2017 of
the sale of the majority control of
Framatome (formerly New NP) by
AREVA SA to EDF as well as the
fulfillment of the regulatory closing
conditions related to the addition of
an equity stake in Orano of both Japanese
investors.
Orano’s capital is now held by the
French State (45.2%), the CEA
(4.8%)3, AREVA SA (40%), JNFL
(5%) and MHI (5%).
This transaction is the last major
step in the restructuring of the French
nuclear industry, undertaken in 2015,
and marks the end of the constitution
phase of the Orano group. With a
strengthened financial structure and
sound strategic partnerships, Orano
now has the means to grow and reach
its goal of being a leading player in the
production and recycling of nuclear
materials, in waste management and
dismantling.
Appointment of a new
independent director
After completion of Orano’s second
capital increase, the Orano General
Meeting, also held on February 26,
2018, appointed Patrick Pelata as
independent director.
| | www.orano.group
News