ABB beats transformer delivery schedule to help British Nuclear Group bring Sizewell A back to full production

London, 16^th December 2004 - Sizewell A, British Nuclear Group’s 420 MW Magnox nuclear power station on the Suffolk coast, has just returned to full production with the help of ABB who pulled forward a £1.7 million-plus fast-track, turnkey contract to deliver and install a replacement GSU (generator step-up unit) transformer nine days ahead of schedule.

Together, Sizewell A’s two reactors produce more than 10 million kWh of electricity – enough power to serve the energy needs of a third of East Anglia. However in March 2004 one of the two GSUs, which step up the power station’s 17.5 kV terminal voltage to the 132 kV required for the National Grid, came to the end of its 38-year life causing Reactor One to be taken off-line.

Although Sizewell A is scheduled to stop generating for good at the end of 2006 there was a clear business case for British Nuclear Group returning Reactor One to power as the cost of lost production far outstripped the cost of a new transformer. As the days passed by it became evident that there was no suitable spare transformer anywhere in the UK. It was also clear that it didn’t make commercial sense to effect a repair.

After investigating a number of suppliers, British Nuclear Group gave ABB the task of manufacturing a brand-new transformer on a fast-track basis and installing it as a turnkey project including low voltage busducting, high voltage cable works and site preparation. David Sullivan, UK General Manager for ABB Power Transformers, said “Within just 10 days of the initial enquiry we were able to specify the new transformer, pass British Nuclear Group’s factory quality audit, achieve factory approval, produce a quotation and agree the contract. Crucially, we were also able to guarantee delivery within seven months, so that Reactor One would be back on-line for the start of December.”

The new 17.5/145 kV 340 MVA generator transformer, which is based on ABB’s Trafostar common design and engineering platform for power transformers, was manufactured in ABB’s Lodz factory in Poland. Marcin Rutkowski, Sales Manager for ABB Power Transformers, said “In addition to the challenge of manufacturing the transformer on a fast-track basis, the logistics of delivery presented an extra challenge as we had to move the 168 tonne load across to the Baltic Coast, out through the Kiel Canal and then sail it across the channel from Cuxhaven, Germany to Lowestoft. After a series of final checks to ensure it had not been damaged in transit, the transformer was brought by road to the Sizewell A site in the early hours of the morning. Thanks to the excellent cooperation between ABB UK, ABB Poland and British Nuclear Group we were able not just to meet an already exceptional delivery time, but to deliver the transformer nine days early.”
“The successful execution of this project for British Nuclear Group is a perfect illustration of how ABB is continuing to gear up its customer service to provide a fast-track response as the international power industry comes under increasing pressure to maintain continuity of supply.” Dave Sullivan added.

ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 103,000 people.