A dedicated and expert team is essential when you’re manufacturing large, high-quality components for a nuclear power plant. Here at Westinghouse and at our Nuclear Components Manufacturing (NCM) facility in Newington, New Hampshire (USA), we employ the best welders, machinists and manufacturing technicians in the industry, as well as an expert staff of engineers and technical professionals to support our manufacturing operations.
Our more than 300 highly skilled and passionate employees support the fabrication of original and replacement components for both new nuclear plants and operating plants across the world. We specialize in the manufacturing of precision stainless steel components, including reactor vessel internals (RVIs), reactor coolant pumps and control element drive mechanisms.
Recently, our team completed the fabrication and shipment of RVIs to the Vogtle new plant construction site in Georgia (USA), where two Westinghouse AP1000® nuclear power plant units are being built.
Reactor vessel internals are vital to a nuclear power plant – primarily serving to support and stabilize the core within the reactor, provide the path for coolant flow and guide movement of the control rods. These components, like many others used in nuclear power plants, are massively impressive in size. In fact, these RVIs weighed more than 200 tons.
>Manufacturing high-quality components – particularly of this scale – requires a continuous commitment to excellence. Our team at NCM reached this milestone by focusing on flawless execution and constantly emphasizing safety and quality.
RVI components leaving Westinghouse’s NCM facility in New Hampshire
But manufacturing these RVIs was only part of the equation. Shipping the components the more than 1,000 miles to the Vogtle new build site near Waynesboro, Georgia, was also no easy task. Our logistical experts were instrumental in the careful planning and safe, on-time execution of a move this big. The RVIs made their way from New Hampshire to Georgia with a police escort and two shipping skids – one for the 114-ton lower internals and one for the 85-ton upper internals of the reactor. The components arrived at the Vogtle AP1000 new plant site on April 28 – on schedule and without any safety issues.
This milestone is another major step forward in the construction of the first AP1000 unit in the United States. Congratulations to the team members at NCM, who each played a key role in this significant accomplishment!
Learn more about NCM’s capabilities and see some our talented employees in action in this video:
Ramon Serrano
Plant Manager, Nuclear Components Manufacturing
Westinghouse Electric Company