Ortec partners with EDF to improve nuclear power plant safety

07/12/2020 - Press Information

Orys, a subsidiary of the Ortec Group, has been selected by EDF to install new safety circuits for 10 of its nuclear reactors.

In 2019 and 2020, ORYS has delivered 36 emergency diesel units (Diesels d’Ultime Secours) working in collaboration with Clemessy and ABC Diesel. Today, the Engineering Decommissioning and Environment Division (DIPDE) of the EDF Group is once again entrusting the ORYS teams with safety improvement modifications following the Fukushima nuclear accident, in accordance with the French Nuclear Safety Authority.

This new 10-year contract confirms ORYS’s position as a major player in the nuclear industry in the piping and mechanical installation sector. The project involves the creation of two new circuits for each reactor, enabling fuel in the core and in the storage pools to be cooled under all conditions. These extremely robust circuits require a very high level of manufacturing quality, ensuring compliance with the demanding regulations for Nuclear Pressure Vessels.

“EDF’s renewed confidence in Ortec’s teams and in their commitment is a source of great professional pride,” says Yannick Fons, Director of Major Energy Projects, “and it drives us to surpass ourselves. ”

To ensure the success of the project, ORYS has invested in a new 4,000 m² workshop in the Rhône Valley, dedicated to the manufacture of nuclear-grade stainless steel with fully digitized process monitoring to ensure the required traceability. Welding operations will be further automated.

In terms of employment, this contract will result in the deployment of around a hundred workers, technicians and engineers, and the recruitment of several dozen welders and pipefitters on permanent contracts in 2020 and 2021.

About the Ortec Group

As an engineering and construction solutions provider, the Ortec Group supports its industrial clients throughout the entire life cycle of their projects. From design to construction and maintenance, Ortec offers unique, high value-added solutions at every stage. Our range of services covers more than 50 complementary areas of expertise, grouped around our Engineering, Contracting and Global Services divisions.

With 229 sites in 27 countries, the Group currently employs 10,000 collaborators and generates a turnover of 1.1 billion euros.

Every day, our teams combine professionalism, safety and technical expertise at the service of a shared ambition: pushing boundaries to anticipate industrial developments and design solutions for the future.

For more information, visit https://www.ortec-group.com/en