AECL Awarded Preventative Maintenance Contract For Qinshan Power

MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO - Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) is pleased to announce that its CANDU Services group has been awarded a five-year contract by the Third Qinshan Nuclear Power Company for the development of a preventative maintenance program for the two CANDU 6 Qinshan units located in Zhejiang, China.

The agreement includes the use of the new SYSTMS (SYStematic approach for the development of Strategies for Maintenance and Surveillance) software tool designed by AECL, and will set the foundation for a program that will serve the Qinshan power plants for the remainder of their 40 year design life and beyond.

SYSTMS is a fully integrated, user-friendly software tool that helps plant operators to improve maintenance, surveillance and inspection practices, as part of an improved equipment reliability program. This is the first commercial sale of the SYSTMS product.

"AECL is committed to the success of CANDU plants worldwide, including all stages of their life cycle," says CANDU Services' Vice President Michael Ingram. "This sets the stage for future sales of SYSTMS to other CANDU customers to provide a more efficient and user-friendly way of enhancing plant reliability and assuring a long service life for CANDU plants. It will also help maintain CANDU's position as one of the best performing reactors in the world."

The agreement includes three-phases, the first of which is a training and preparation phase relating to plant life management conducted from AECL's Mississauga, Ontario facilities. The second is an on-site engagement phase, during which AECL will conduct tests and implement the results. The final phase involves consultation support, including the signing of the SYSTMS software license and maintenance agreement for four years.