AREVA’s new Technical Center, located at the AREVA Solutions Center in Lynchburg, Virginia, reached a major milestone with the placement of 33 truckloads of concrete, the equivalent of pouring foundations for 20 homes simultaneously. The concrete was delivered to the site over a five hour period to form a 1.3 million pound reaction mass. This provides the foundation for the seismic response testing system or “shake table” – one of the largest of its kind in North America.
The shake table, along with environmental chambers, machine shops and various metallurgical and chemistry laboratories, will allow AREVA to develop, analyze and validate nuclear plant equipment and its performance under harsh conditions such as earthquakes and high temperatures. The Technical Center furthers AREVA’s development capabilities for the EPR small modular reactors and other products. It also provides the nuclear industry with a state-of-the-art development and testing facility.
“Through this innovative and comprehensive development and testing facility AREVA expands our support to utility clients and equipment manufacturers for products and services required to develop, maintain and extend the life of nuclear plant components and systems,” said Mike Rencheck, president and CEO of AREVA Inc. “Our investment in the Technical Center specifically and the AREVA Solutions Center as a whole demonstrates AREVA’s continued commitment to the local communities, university alliances and the nuclear industry.”
Completion of the AREVA Solutions Center will add up to $7 million of procurement and facility modifications through 2015 in the Lynchburg area and will lead to the creation of additional jobs by 2013. The expansion required for the development of the U.S. Technical Center began in mid-February 2012, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony planned for September 2012.
The AREVA Solutions Center is a full service campus of development and testing facilities designed to support utility clients and equipment manufacturers for products and services required to develop, maintain and extend the life of nuclear plant components and systems.
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