ENUSA TECHNOLOGY FOR THE CHINESE NUCLEAR MARKET

The contract covers the design, manufacture and supply of sophisticated inspection equipment whose technology has been developed by this state-run company and several units of which are in operation at its Juzbado factory.
With this new contract Enusa has achieved an important commercial success.

ENUSA recently signed a contract with the Chinese fuel manufacturer CNNC Jian Zhong Nuclear Fuel Co. (CJNF) for the design, manufacture and supply of high-tech equipment that will be used for ultrasonic inspection of fuel rods and whose design is equivalent to that of the units installed in the Juzbado factory. The equipment will be made in collaboration with Tecnatom (a leading Spanish company specialized in global advanced engineering services that is active in more than thirty countries), with whom Enusa has signed a collaboration agreement for marketing the equipment. Enusa will be in charge of the commercial leadership and provide the technology and Tecnatom will be responsible for manufacturing the equipment.

Manufacturing of the new equipment will begin immediately and the delivery date is set for the end of 2013, which means a demanding delivery schedule.

First sale of in-house technology abroad

This new contract represents an important new development in the company’s progression, since it is Enusa’s first sale to the Chinese nuclear market. The state-run company is making a major effort to stay competitive by opening up new lines of business that respond to the increasingly demanding conditions imposed by the current economic climate. Opening up new markets like China - and also Brazil - is part of this effort.

Furthermore, it is the first sale of equipment developed with in-house technology. This type of technology has already been used in the Juzbado factory for some years, and now Enusa and Tecnatom are marketing it for the first time to service other similar factories. Two units of this kind, developed by a very professional, experienced team, were first installed at the Juzbado factory several years ago.

This very sophisticated equipment is closely linked to final product quality, as it can detect the presence of defects in fuel rod welds with great precision.

New lines of business to open up new markets

Although the core business of Enusa is the manufacture of fuel assemblies in its Juzbado factory, the company is making major efforts to broaden its experience and expertise to new lines of business linked to its main activity. One of these lines is the development and supply of inspection equipment, on which it has been working for many years. This is now beginning to bear fruit since this agreement marks the end of a long period of more than three years of technical discussions and negotiations between the parties.

Enusa, as well as Tecnatom, are members of the Spanish Nuclear Group for Cooperation (SNGC), an association of high-tech Spanish companies devoted to the promotion of their nuclear business in new markets.

CJNF

The Chinese fuel manufacturer CJNF belongs to the state-owned conglomerate CNNC (China National Nuclear Co.). CJNF operates the main nuclear fuel manufacturing facility in this Asian country, which is located in the city of Yibin, in the province of Sichuan. The Yibin factory plans to triple its installed capacity by 2020 due to the rapid growth of demand for nuclear fuel in China.

Negotiation meeting with the presence of representatives of CNEIC, CJNF, NUTECH, SNGC and ENUSA (Yibin, China)