Rolls-Royce wins Hinkley C preferred bidder status

Rolls-Royce has been awarded ‘preferred bidder’ status for the contract to supply an integrated nuclear emergency diesel system (the ‘ultimate diesel generators’) for the planned Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in Somerset, UK. The system will consist of four generation sets each powered by an MTU diesel generator made by Rolls-Royce Power Systems and managed by a Rolls-Royce patented instrumentation and control system.

The 3.6 MWe gensets will be powered by MTU 16 cylinder series 956 diesel engines, a type that has been installed in various NPP emergency diesel applications. It is able to start taking the load within 15 seconds of the start signal, which is initiated automatically or manually depending on the emergency scenario.

The preferred bidder status has been awarded as the next stage in early works for Hinkley Point and brings to over £160 million the total preferred bidder contracts awarded to Rolls-Royce in the Hinkley Point C project. These include a £75m contract awarded to a Rolls-Royce/Nuvia partnership.

Harry Holt, Rolls-Royce, president, Nuclear, commented: “This [order] is in addition to the preferred bidder status that we have already been awarded for contracts to design and manufacture a number of heat exchangers, and coolant treatment equipment for the reactor systems.”

Rolls-Royce is already established as a prominent supplier of emergency diesel generators and instrumentation and control technology with more than 300 MTU emergency diesel generators installed on more than 50 reactors in 15 countries and its I&C technology installed in more than 200 reactors across 20 countries.

Ultimate diesel generators (UDG) can be regarded as the last line of defence to provide electrical power for various safety features of the plant in the event of a station black out. UDGs can also be used for the restoration of an electricity source to manage an extended loss of electrical power scenario (loss of off-site power, loss of other emergency diesel generators). This is guaranteed by an additional battery buffer for the UDG’s instrumentation and control systems.