Another project success in China

Shortly before the successful completion of the Vitrification Plant China (VPC) project at the Guangyuan site in the province of Sichuan, which involves the engineering, supply and commissioning of a vitrification plant for liquid high-level waste, the Nuclear Technologies division of STEAG Energy Services GmbH (SES) secured a long-term follow-up contract with a similar scope of services at the Diwopu site in the province of Gansu.

In a vitrification plant, vitrified waste canisters are produced, in which highly radioactive liquid substances are immobilized and safely enclosed in a glass matrix for safe interim storage.

For the vitrification plant, SES will design three buildings, namely the process building, the test building and the intermediate storage building, with a focus on mechanical and electrical systems, and will supply the most important key components. Our consortium partner will focus on designing the process systems and will also supply key components for these systems. The process building, for example, comprises several hot cell complexes that are used for remote manipulation of various process, mechanical and electrical equipment. Remote handling is necessary due to the very high levels of radioactive radiation and contamination within the cells. This ensures safety for the operating personnel. Radiation protection windows and radiation resistant cameras allow observation of the handling operations. After on-site installation support, experts from our German consortium will work with the client to commission the entire facility. As of today, the project is scheduled to be completed in 2030.

The Chinese client has once again chosen a German consortium due to the excellent cooperation and the expertise successfully applied in the VPC project. Thus, SES and the industrial partner will once again be able to prove their know-how and meet the expectations placed in them on the international market.