Key Issues
Expanded Manufacturing Capacity Needed to Support New Nuclear Plant Construction
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Limited Suppliers of Nuclear-Grade Plant Components. “Nuclear grade” refers to a process of rigorous manufac-turing quality assurance for those components that are especially critical to reactor safety. A limited number of cer-tified suppliers of certain nuclear-grade components, including pumps, heat exchangers and valves, will increase competition for the limited resources of the remaining certified suppliers. This, in turn, will extend lead times and raise component prices.
Specialized Equipment and Machinery. Tight supplies of certain pieces of specialized equipment or machinery may hinder new-plant construction.
Forging Capability. Only one company, in Japan, produces ultra-large forgings that are used mainly for reactor pressure vessels, and the company has a three-year order backlog. This could inhibit the expansion of nuclear power in the United States and around the world absent new foundries.
The NEI study identified ultra-large forgings as the first major pinch point that the industry will encounter before 2010, but constraints on supplies of nuclear-grade pumps, valves and heat exchangers in safety-related systems could arise in subsequent years. “These constraints may intensify if the manufacturing industry does not increase capacity on a schedule consistent with the nuclear industry’s needs,” the report concluded.
In addition, no U.S. company has the capability to produce large forgings necessary for manufacturing steam gen-erators and large turbine generators for nuclear plants.
Limited Suppliers of Nuclear-Grade Plant Components. “Nuclear grade” refers to a process of rigorous manufac-turing quality assurance for those components that are especially critical to reactor safety. A limited number of cer-tified suppliers of certain nuclear-grade components, including pumps, heat exchangers and valves, will increase competition for the limited resources of the remaining certified suppliers. This, in turn, will extend lead times and raise component prices.
Specialized Equipment and Machinery. Tight supplies of certain pieces of specialized equipment or machinery may hinder new-plant construction.
Forging Capability. Only one company, in Japan, produces ultra-large forgings that are used mainly for reactor pressure vessels, and the company has a three-year order backlog. This could inhibit the expansion of nuclear power in the United States and around the world absent new foundries.
The NEI study identified ultra-large forgings as the first major pinch point that the industry will encounter before 2010, but constraints on supplies of nuclear-grade pumps, valves and heat exchangers in safety-related systems could arise in subsequent years. “These constraints may intensify if the manufacturing industry does not increase capacity on a schedule consistent with the nuclear industry’s needs,” the report concluded.
In addition, no U.S. company has the capability to produce large forgings necessary for manufacturing steam gen-erators and large turbine generators for nuclear plants.