Energy and defense contractor Babcock & Wilcox has earned a new contract worth $24-million to replace critical components and complete plant modifications for a Nebraska nuclear power plant. The Omaha Public Power District is seeking to increase the generating capability of its Fort Calhoun Nuclear Generating Station, in Omaha, by 17%.
It is the largest contract in the scope of the project. The Babcock & Wilcox Nuclear Energy Inc. subsidiary of Babcock & Wilcox develops and manufactures technology and supplies design and contractor services for the nuclear, fossil-fuel, and renewable power markets.
The Fort Calhoun Nuclear Generating Station is a single-reactor nuclear power plant rated at 500 MW of electricity. Currently, it is the smallest rated capacity among all operating commercial power reactors in North America. The was refurbished in 2006 with new steam generators, pressurizer, reactor vessel head, low-pressure turbines, and main transformer. Its current operating license expires in 2033.
The expansion work is already in progress, according to B&W, and includes engineering and construction of components. The contractor is now preparing to complete the “uprating” during a planned outage for refueling the power plant in 2012.
