Westinghouse, SNZ start zirconium sponge plant in China

Westinghouse Electric Company and its joint venture partner, State Nuclear Baoti Zirconium Industry (SNZ), have together begun the startup of a new zirconium sponge plant production facility called the State Nuclear WEC Zirconium Hafnium Co. (SNWZH) in China.

The SNWZH facility located in Nantong will produce a component of the tubing process, the nuclear-grade zirconium, which is used in the nuclear fuel assembly operations.

Westinghouse chairman, interim president and CEO Shigenori Shiga said the commissioning of this China sponge plant further extends its service to the China market.

"In addition to building four AP1000® power plants at Sanmen and Haiyang, Westinghouse is pleased to add to its service base the capability to manufacture nuclear-grade zirconium sponge to customers in China," Shiga added.

Westinghouse chief operating officer Ric Perez said, "We will work in close partnership with joint-venture partners to conduct operations with a focus on safety, quality and operational excellence to provide a high-quality product to our customers."

The shareholders of SNWZH will use the nuclear-grade zirconium to manufacture specialised parts for the nuclear fuel assemblies in China and across the world through Westinghouse.

Westinghouse along with its consortium partner, The Shaw Group, had provided four AP1000 power plants in China ordered by the State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation (SNPTC) which owns SNZ.

Westinghouse Electric Company, a group company of Toshiba Corporation, is a nuclear energy company and a supplier of nuclear plant products and technologies to utilities.