NUCLEAR | SECTOR REPORT
The nuclear sector is seeing steady activity in maintenance and decommissioning projects, as conflict between public sentiment and energy needs make nuclear power a “necessary evil”. Mike Straus reports.
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uclear projects have long been controversial and complicated, and the modern nuclear market is reflective of the
scientific, regulatory, and PR environments of particular countries. While the global push to shift to clean energy like solar and wind has opened a debate regarding whether or not nuclear energy is “clean”, the fact remains that nuclear still plays a vital role in both electricity generation – the World Nuclear Association says that in the United States, the world’s largest nuclear energy producer, nuclear power plants supply 20% of all electricity - and in the creation of medical radioisotopes. These and other factors are creating both opportunities and challenges for hoist equipment manufacturers and distributors that serve the nuclear industry. Nuclear trends are often region-specific.
Robert O’Connor, director of nuclear operations for Whiting Corporation in Monee, Illinois, USA, says that while China is building nuclear plants to power its electrical grid, France is closing its nuclear power plants. Meanwhile, other countries are taking a middle-ground approach of simply maintaining existing plants. “There’s a lot of maintenance and
upkeep happening,” O’Connor says. “A lot of these plants were only designed to run for 40 years, and now suddenly they have to run for an extra 40 years, so they’re in upgrade mode. The American power grid is based on nuclear, so the plants have to keep running.” With polar cranes in particular, O’Connor
R A Penny Nuclear drum grab attachment for lifting and transporting nuclear waste drums. Penny Nuclear was granted Fit4Nuclear status in December 2018
22 | March 2021 |
www.hoistmagazine.com
says, there is very little demand for new installations. The major components of the
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