ZAT to supply 15.5 mln euro control system to Bulgaria's Kozloduy NPP

March 28 (SeeNews) - Czech automation systems provider ZAT said that it signed a 15.5 million euro ($16.8 million) deal to deliver a control system to Bulgaria's Kozloduy nuclear power plant (NPP) over the next three years.

In mid-March, ZAT concluded a contract to provide the Reactor Rod Control System (RRCS) for the two operating units of the power plant, the Czech company said in a statement on Friday.

Kozloduy NPP operates two Russian-designed VVER-1000 reactors of 1000 MW each, Unit 5 and Unit 6. Their operational licences will expire in 2027 and 2029, respectively.

The project phase will take place during the first year of the contract, ZAT said. RRCS deliveries along with assembly and revival of the first unit will be carried out in 2025, with the same work to be done on the second unit in 2026.

"Bulgaria was the last location within the EU where the Czech control system has not yet been deployed at VVER-type power plants. With this step, we have closed the imaginary circle and confirmed our top competence in the field of nuclear power in Europe," ZAT board member and sales and implementation director Ivo Tichy said. He added that ZAT's RRCS for nuclear plants, the most up-to-date on the market, meets the safety conditions stipulated by the European regulatory authorities.

At present, ZAT's control systems and know-how are deployed in about a third of all nuclear power plants in the EU and in 10% of NPPs worldwide. The Czech company develops, designs and manufactures control systems for various types of nuclear reactors, with a particular focus on nuclear power plants with pressurised water reactors.

Earlier this month, US company Westinghouse Electric signed a memorandum of understanding with project company Kozloduy NPP-Newbuild (KNPP–Newbuild) to evaluate opportunities for the potential construction of one or two reactors at the plant, using Westinghouse's AP1000 pressurised water reactor technology.

($ = 0.9244 euro)