As part of the $12m contract, GNF will deliver the fuel to Monticello nuclear plant at the beginning of 2013, prior to the unit’s next fuel reloading outage.
For the fuel project, GNF will manufacture and supply its proven GE14 BWR fuel bundles and associated engineering services. The company employs GNF’s Defender filter technology as it protects the fuel by capturing any foreign debris that may exist in a reactor, thus preventing damage to fuel rods and potential fuel failures.
Susan Arigoni, vice president of fuels for Xcel Energy, said: “This is a significant project for the region because we are increasing the generating capacity of one of our most reliable and lowest-cost generation resources, which also is a non-carbon emitting plant.”
Kevin Walsh, CEO of GNF and senior vice president-nuclear fuel cycle for GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH), said: “We are very pleased to extend our long relationship with Xcel Energy and support the company’s strategy to safely increase Monticello’s generating capacity and long-term reliability.”
GNF is a GE-led joint venture with Hitachi and Toshiba. GNF is a fabricator and supplier of boiling water reactor (BWR) fuel and services.
