More capacity for Laguna Verde

Monday, 7 February 2011

Two reactors at Mexico's only nuclear power station have undergone a 20% capacity increase with the completion of a four-year modernisation project.
 
Spain's Iberdrola Engineering, who carried out the work as the 97% partner in a consortium with Alstom Mexico, has announced that both boiling water reactors at Laguna Verde are now operating at 820 MWe. The major renovation project, which cost over $600 million, began in 2007. As well as increasing plant capacity, the project has also enabled an extension of the plant's operating life to 40 years.

 

The two reactors at Laguna Verde (Image: Federal Electricity Commission)

 
The project included a turbine and condenser retrofit and the replacement of the electric generator, main steam reheater and the feedwater heater. The reactors were uprated progressively starting in 2007 when 11.6 MWe uprates to both units were achieved through better flow control.
 
The first Laguna Verde unit entered service in 1989, with unit 2 following in 1994. Together, they supply around 5% of Mexico's electricity. While there is governmental support for the expansion of nuclear energy to reduce reliance on natural gas, low gas prices mean that no decision on new build has yet been made.
 
Researched and written

by World Nuclear News