Just like automobiles, nuclear power plants have to be “tuned up” on a regular basis to keep them running efficiently and for a long time. Westinghouse’s outage services team comprises 4,000+ dedicated men and women who safely perform the vital refueling, services, inspection and installation/modification work needed on a regular basis to keep nuclear plants in peak operating condition. Our craftspeople, engineers, welders, technicians and machinists precisely plan and time every detail of an outage to minimize interruptions in electricity generation and enable our customers to get their plants back online on schedule.
Westinghouse team at Calvert Cliffs plant in Maryland (USA) with some members of the Westinghouse refueling and reactor coolant pump team.
Our outage services crews will be working at more than 40 nuclear power plants around the world — including in the United States, Canada, Argentina, Mexico, France, China, South Korea, Japan, Brazil, Ukraine, Korea and Taiwan. They will employ some of the most revolutionary technologies in the industry, including robotics, underwater laser beam welding, remote submarine cameras, live audio/video feeds and much more to help nuclear plants run safely and efficiently now and for generations to come.
We’ve now reached the first peak of this twin-peaked outage season and our resources are fully deployed. I want to commend all of our teams for their focus on safety, human performance and doing things right the first time. We’re currently working on 10 outages at 22 sites overall, and have completed major outages at Calvert Cliffs 2, River Bend, Byron 1, LaSalle 2, Perry 1, Vogtle 1 and Point Beach.
All members of our team bring unparalleled professionalism to every job. Their pride in their work is evident — and is a feeling I share. I’m proud to be part of an industry that generates approximately 13 percent of the world’s electricity. In fact, no other power source but nuclear operates with more than 90 percent efficiency, 24 hour hours a day, seven days a week, with virtually zero carbon emissions.
A global customer base, expert craftspeople, cutting-edge technologies, a cleaner environment … it’s all part of what makes the nuclear power industry so special and so vital to our world.
Follow Westinghouse outage updates on @WECNuclear on Twitter.
Steve Ira
Vice President, PWR Operating Plant Services
Westinghouse Electric Company
