Celeros FT makes major investment in nuclear pump testing facility to help EDF deliver more affordable, carbon-free electricity

07/05/24

EDF has awarded the contract to design, manufacture and test safety-critical pumps for its EPR 2 nuclear reactors to our ClydeUnion Pumps brand. The recent inauguration of a new testing facility at ClydeUnion Pumps facility in Annecy, France, marks a milestone moment in the partnership between the two companies. 

“We are delighted to be supporting EDF on their nuclear new build program in France,” said Pascal Montel, Sales Director – Nuclear EMEA. “Our in-house nuclear engineering expertise and world-class manufacturing and testing facilities are a winning combination that can add real value to projects like EPR 2. We look forward to helping EDF achieve their ambition to make carbon-free electricity more safe and more affordable than ever.”

Celeros FT’s investment in a new modern high-temperature test loop at Annecy is a critical part of the development programme, as Pascal explains. “The test platform gives us the capacity to qualify and develop pumps under extreme conditions, including temperatures in excess of 200°C, very high pressures, and dust-laiden atmospheres. This investment will enable us to master the entire pump development chain and I’m sure will also prove to be a great asset to the nuclear industry.”

ClydeUnion Pumps will use their new test facility to design and build the most technologically advanced safety pumps in the world for the new EPR 2 nuclear power plants. These will include low head safety injection (LHSI) and medium head safety injection (MHSI) pumps for the safety injection system that provides core cooling for the reactor in the event of coolant loss. ClydeUnion Pumps is also responsible for supplying ASG pumps for the emergency feedwater system, which will supply water to the steam generators if the normal supply is interrupted.

This latest contract win further strengthens the longstanding partnership between the two companies: ClydeUnion Pumps has supplied equipment to almost all EDF’s nuclear power plants in France and the UK, including Sizewell B (Suffolk, UK) and the EPR reactor at Flamanville 3 (Normandy, France).