Belgoprocess L.L.C. and IBERDROLA Ingeniería y Construcción S.A.U. have been awarded a contract by Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant, Plc. to supply a facility for treatment and conditioning of solid radioactive waste with high volume reduction factor at the Kozloduy Nuclear Power plant in Bulgaria. The contract is valued at €29.9 million ($38.5 million) and is co-financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Bulgarian government.
The state-of-the-art plasma treatment facility will reduce and immobilise the waste through a thermal process by which inorganic waste is melted and organic waste is burnt, resulting in a slag as robust end product. Treatment of the resulting flue gasses will be similar to the treatment used in conventional radwaste incinerators installed at the Belgoprocess site.
Belgoprocess is responsible for providing the process and for nuclearisation of the facility, as well as for review of the engineering documents, development of the environmental impact assessment, commissioning and start up of the facility and training of future operations staff. IBERDROLA will provide detailed engineering, procurement of the main components and licensing of the process.
“This contract validates our growth in the international nuclear waste management marketplace,” says Walter Bogaerts, chief executive officer of Belgoprocess. “We look forward to working side by side with IBERDROLA through our newly formed consortium to bring this exciting project to successful completion.”
Belgoprocess is recognised internationally for its expertise in processing radioactive waste and decommissioning shutdown nuclear installations. It also operates temporary storage facilities for low- and high-level nuclear waste and cooperates in the design and engineering of final disposal facilities and related conditioning plants. For more information, visit the website at www.belgoprocess.be.
IBERDROLA is part of one of the leading electricity groups in the world with operations in more than 40 countries and more than 27 million customers. Iberdrola offers a wide range of services for nuclear power plants that encompass conceptual and basic engineering, including system and process definition, turnkey projects and operational support. More information is available at www.iberdrolaingenieria.com