Framatome ANP - AREVA

Perspective1Shorter OutagesAre Good Business1322Over the last decade, operating a nuclearpower plant has undergone major changes.Deregulation has increased competition andoperators have successfully streamlined their operationsto reduce costs and maximize output. Increased attentionhas been paid to safe operations and the conceptof extending the lifetime of the plants has precipitatedin-depth analyses of components and upgrading systems.In their efforts to improve plant operations, more andmore utilities are forming partnering-type alliances. These long-termrelationships allow both the operator and the vendor to focus on the samegoals, provide experienced working teams that lead to continuous improvementin operations through better resource utilization and planning and result ina win/win situation for both parties and also cost reductions.In particular, outage optimization has attracted increasing attention. A decadeago, it was not unusual for outages to last 40 to 60 days. Today, they rangefrom the teens to the 20s, with some in Europe as low as 6 – 8 days. Obviously,the longer a plant can run without interruption, the higher the capacity factorsand the greater the potential for higher revenues.A new term - outage optimization - has been coined in recent years. As thename implies, it is intended to cover more than just managing an outage.It involves both long and short-term planning and detailed analysis of everyaspect of plant operation so that each scheduled outage accomplishes the mostimportant tasks in a logical and carefully determined order while reducingthe risk of unscheduled shutdowns. Reducing outage durations enhancesplant availability, reduces costs and ensures that a utility remains competitivewhile enhancing quality and safety.Wulf BürkleSenior ExecutiveVice PresidentFramatome ANP