Rolls-Royce agrees contracts worth over £35m for Chinese nuclear power plants

Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has agreed contracts worth over £35M to provide reactor safety instrumentation and controls systems for eight new nuclear power plants in China.

Benoit Chabre, Rolls-Royce Managing Director - Instrumentation and Controls, said: “Rolls-Royce is very proud to have been a supplier to the nuclear power market in China since the early 1990s and we will continue to build on this long standing relationship.

“This significant agreement reaffirms our position as a world leader in digital instrumentation and control systems. We will continue to work with our customers to supply products and services which enable them to improve the safety, reliability and cost effectiveness of their critical assets.”

Rolls-Royce has signed a contract with China Nuclear Power Engineering Corporation (CNPEC) to provide six Rod Control Systems (RCS) and eight Neutron Instrumentation Systems (NIS). These systems will operate with the new Chinese designed CPR1000 nuclear power plants and will be manufactured in the Rolls-Royce facility in Meylan, France.

Rolls-Royce is a world leading provider of mission critical nuclear systems and components. This agreement strengthens the company’s position in China, building upon previous contracts to supply RCS and NIS for ten nuclear power plants located at Hongyanhe, Ningde, Yangjiang, Fangjiashan and Fuqing. Rolls-Royce intends to develop a local presence to support its Chinese customers in the further development of their nuclear power infrastructure.

1. Rolls-Royce, a world-leading provider of power systems and services for use on land, at sea and in the air, has established a strong position in global markets - civil aerospace, defence aerospace, marine and energy.
2. As a result of this strategy, Rolls-Royce today has a broad customer base comprising more than 600 airlines, 4,000 corporate and utility aircraft and helicopter operators, 160 armed forces, more than 2,000 marine customers, including 70 navies, and energy customers in nearly 120 countries, with an installed base of 54,000 gas turbines.
3. Rolls-Royce employs 39,000 skilled people in offices, manufacturing and service facilities in 50 countries. The Group has a strong commitment to apprentice and graduate recruitment, and to further developing employee skills.
4. In 2009, Rolls-Royce invested £864 million on research and development, two thirds of which had the objective of further improving the environmental aspects of its products, in particular the reduction of emissions.
5. Annual underlying revenues were £10.1 billion in 2009, of which about half came from services revenues. The firm and announced order book stood at £58.4 billion at 30 June 2010, providing visibility of future levels of activity.

Rolls-Royce Nuclear:

1. Rolls-Royce provides nuclear power utility vendors and operators with integrated, long-term solutions and support services spanning the whole reactor lifecycle, from concept design through to obsolescence management and plant life extension. With nuclear expertise including component manufacturing, licensing, project and supply chain management as well as world-class engineering, the company has been a key player in the industry for over 50 years.
2. The eight new nuclear power plant projects covered by this agreement are operated by China Guangdong Nuclear Power Corporation (CGNPC) and are located at Fangchengang (units 1 and 2) ; Hongyanhe (units 5 and 6) and Yangjiang (units 3, 4, 5 and 6).
3. The Rod Control System actuates the control rod drive mechanism (CRDM) in order to withdraw or insert the reactor control rods, to control the power of the nuclear reactor. The Neutron Instrumentation System (NIS) enables operators to permanently monitor instantaneous nuclear power, power fluctuations, and radial and axial power distribution in the reactor by using the neutron flux measured by the “excore” neutron detectors.
4. Rolls-Royce currently has one of the largest nuclear skills base of any UK company, with over 2,600 employees in the UK, France the United States and Canada.
5. The Rolls-Royce facility in Meylan, France has provided Instrumentation and Control systems and life cycle support to the nuclear industry for more than 40 years and has systems installed on 200 reactors worldwide.