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BUSINESS OVERVIEW
06
6.4 Operations
a large part of theWestern world’s demand for forgings. Supply has increased since
2006, with large capital projects in Germany, Italy, South Korea, China and India.
There is considerable international competition in heavy components, with six main
competitors: Toshiba-Westinghouse, Doosan, MHI, Babcock &Wilcox and the arrival
of emerging Chinese players mainly active in their domestic market. The EDF group
has opened replacement steam generator manufacturing to the competition.
AREVA NP is able to respond to customer requirements for all engineering and
project management services.
AREVA’s main competitors inmobile components are Toshiba-Westinghouse, MHI,
Curtis Wright, KSB and Andritz.
Extension of the power plant operating period and optimization of maintenance
strategies are two important issues for operators, who are becoming more
demanding in terms of performance improvement, reliability and maintenance
costs for reactor coolant pumps.
Outlook and development goals
The Components Business Unit works for all reactor types. The nuclear equipment
market consists of two segments: the component maintenance and replacement
market, and the new builds market.
Despite the deterioration of global energy markets, the load outlook for the Saint-
Marcel and Jeumont manufacturing plants is pointed upwards for the next three
years, led in particular by the ramp-up of primary cooling system equipment
manufacturing for the Hinkley Point EPR.
In 2017, the Creusot site’s priority will to be to continue to audit past manufacturing
files and to deploy the quality plan to securemanufacturing quality. This programwill
be accompanied by investment in improvements to key equipment in its industrial
operations.
The production sites’ main challenges are to improve industrial safety, increase
quality levels and achieve productivity gains. The objective remains to deliver primary
cooling systemequipment for nuclear reactors with the requisite standards of quality,
according to the schedule agreed upon with the customer, and in a competitive
manner.
6.4.2.1.5.
Technical and engineering department
Businesses
The principal missions of the Technical and Engineering Department (TED) are
the following:
p
support AREVA NP’s operations for the design of nuclear steam supply systems
in France and Germany. The Technical and Engineering Department provides
technical and testing facilities for which it is responsible, around the world;
p
develop and guarantee the technical performance, licensing and competitiveness
of the nuclear steam supply system;
p
maintain and develop skills, methods and tools;
p
promote the operations supported by these skills, ensuring proposal
competitiveness;
p
steer the Research and Development process for AREVA NP;
p
manage relations with the safety authorities concerning the licensing of nuclear
steam supply systems or the design of pressurized nuclear equipment, and with
the institutions which define codes and standards applicable to AREVA NP’s
technical fields;
p
fulfill the Technical Direction function within the scope of work of AREVA NP,
except for the Fuel operations.
Operations and highlights
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
This entity coordinates R&D teams responsible for key technologies and products
supporting PWR and BWR reactors. It is also responsible for the development
of new systems and technologies for next-generation reactors, in particular high
temperature reactors and fast neutron reactors. Since July 1, 2016, and following
the establishment of the new AREVA NP organization, it also steers AREVA NP’s
R&D program.
DESIGN AUTHORITY
The entity is the authority for AREVA NP’s products (reactor models and products
and services offered by the Installed Base Business Unit). For reactors, it ensures
the consistency of themodels under construction or development. For the products
and services of the Installed Base Business Unit, it provides independent verification
of the technical risk assessment. In 2016, the division in charge of TED continued
in its role as Design Authority for the EPR NM project jointly with EDF’s Septen
(issuance of opinions and recommendations on the technical configuration of the
EPR NM reactor).
TECHNICAL CENTER
The Technical Center brings a unique and wide range of skills, test facilities and
laboratories to the development and testing of advanced methods and solutions.
The Technical Center’s facilities are located in Erlangen and Karlstein, Germany,
and in le Creusot and Chalon/St-Marcel in France.
LICENSING, QUALITY AND SAFETY
This entity is in charge of relations with the nuclear safety regulators.
In the French regulatory context, it is also responsible for relations with the French
nuclear safety authority ASN for assessment of pressurized nuclear equipment
conformity within the scope allocated to it, in accordance with the ESPN order of
December 12, 2005, as amended by the order of December 30, 2015. To meet
ASN requests for justifications and demonstrations to be provided in connection
with this regulation, AREVA NP has put in place determining actions to evolve its
practices. Internal and external work within the AFCEN association (publisher of
the RCC-M mechanical construction code) received a positive score from ASN
and will strengthen the group’s position as a leading “manufacturer”, under the
meaning of the orders.
ENGINEERING OF SAFETY, MECHANICAL AND CROSS-BUSINESS PROCESSES
The engineering entities are responsible for carrying out studies in connection
with projects led by the business units at the requisite level of quality, schedule and
budget compliance. They are responsible for harvesting knowledge, managing skills
and developing related codes and methods in the nuclear steam supply system
field and in services to operating reactors. The teams are based in France (Paris
and Lyon) and in Germany (Erlangen).
Human and industrial resources
The technical units are comprised of international teams and have experimental and
engineering facilities in France (Paris, Chalon, Lyon and le Creusot), in Germany
(Erlangen and Karlstein) and in United States (Lynchburg).
Relations with customers and suppliers
The Technical and Engineering Department teams work on projects won by other
business units from external customers, and contribute to project performance.
2016 AREVA
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