AREVA wins dismantling contract in the United States

AREVA has signed a contract with NorthStar* in the United States to segment, package and transport to offsite disposal the reactor pressure vessel and internal reactor components of the Vermont Yankee Boiling Water Reactor.

The reactor began commercial operation in 1972 and, at full power, supplied 620 MWe. Vermont Yankee's reactor pressure vessel is a large steel cylinder with a diameter of 5.5 meters and 13 cm thick walls.

To segment and dismantle the radioactive reactor internals, AREVA’s trained teams will use a variety of remotely operated underwater tools specifically designed for nuclear decommissioning and proven effective in various projects in the US and Germany.

Guillaume Dureau, Senior Executive Vice President, Customers, Strategy, Innovation and R&D comments: “Following a contract signed recently with Vattenfall in Germany to segment and package the internals of the Brunsbüttel nuclear power plant, we are pleased to have been selected for this project on the other side of the Atlantic. Such contracts are proof of the expertise AREVA has garnered in decommissioning nuclear reactors over the years.”

*‎Based in New York, NorthStar provides comprehensive environmental assessments, deconstruction and demolition, nuclear decommissioning, emergency response and asset recovery management.