Westinghouse Electric Company has signed a $35m agreement with China Baotou Nuclear Fuel (CBNF) to design, manufacture and install fuel fabrication equipment that will enable China to manufacture fuel for the fleet of its AP1000 nuclear power plants.
The equipment, which will be installed in a CBNF facility in Baotou, China, will be sourced from Westinghouse and its suppliers in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Colorado, Michigan, South Carolina and North Carolina.
Westinghouse Sr vice president of nuclear fuel Joe Belechak said that the agreement will help China achieve its goals of energy independence and carbon avoidance.
"For Westinghouse and our US suppliers, the agreement provides an opportunity to design, manufacture and install nuclear fuel manufacturing technology in a new and fast-growing nuclear energy market," Belechak said.
As per terms of the agreement, CBNF will be able to manufacture fuel for AP1000s being constructed in China.
The Westinghouse AP1000 has also been identified as the new plant technology of choice for no less than 14 planned new plants in the US, including the only six for which contracts have been signed.