General Electric has been awarded a multi-million dollar contract to upgrade monitoring and control systems at the Chin Shan Nuclear Power Station in northern Taiwan.
GE Energy’s nuclear business will supply Taiwan Power Company (TPC) with technology designed to improve the reliability and accuracy of its monitoring systems while also reducing maintenance costs and addressing an equipment obsolescence concern.
The 1,272-megawatt Chin Shan Nuclear Power Station is located in the village of Chin Shan, Taipei County, on the northern tip of the island. TPC purchased the GE systems as part of the utility’s ongoing efforts to upgrade the power plant. GE is said to be the world’s leading designer of boiling water reactors, including Chin Shan’s two units, which went on line in 1978 and 1979, respectively.
The Chin Shan project is the latest monitoring and control system award for GE, reflecting a growing trend in system upgrades in the global nuclear industry as operators seek to extend the useful lifetime of nuclear plants. Control system upgrades, such as the Chin Shan project, increase efficiency and safety, while reducing maintenance costs of the existing power plants.