Vallourec Expands Tubular Component Capacity to Meet Nuclear Power Demand
03/19/2009 - Vallourec will invest € 80 million in production capacity expansions designed to help the company meet the growing needs of the nuclear power industry at its subsidiaries in France and the United States.
Vallourec has announced plans to invest € 80 million in new production capacities at its subsidiaries, Valinox Nucléaire in France, and Valtimet in France and the United States. The capacity expansions will help the company meet the growing needs of the nuclear power industry.
For Valinox Nucléaire, a world leader in stainless steel and nickel alloy tubes for steam generators for nuclear power plants, the investment will help to boost the annual production capacity of its Montbard plant (Côte d’Or, France) from 1800 km of tubes in 2008 to 4500 km of tubes in 2011.
For Valtimet, a world leader in welded titanium and stainless steel tubes for secondary circuits for nuclear power plants, the investment will help to double production capacity for nuclear products at its plants in Côte d’Or, France (Venarey-les-Laumes) and Brunswick, Ga.
Growing demand for nuclear power is fueled by a continued increase in demand for electricity combined with a growing need to reduce global CO2 emissions. As a result, the number of nuclear projects continues to increase worldwide, with installed nuclear capacity is projected to increase by over 300 GW between 2006 and 20301.
The growth in newly installed nuclear power capacity, combined with life extensions for existing capacity, is creating strong demand for specific tubular components—demand that already exceeds availability. Vallourec’s planned investments will enable the company to respond to requirements expressed and confirmed by its customers.
“These investments are fully in line with our strategy of growing our activities in the energy market, and notably in the nuclear industry, where Vallourec has built an expertise and leadership position over the past 30 years,” commented Pierre Verluca, Chairman of the company’s Management Board. “Vallourec will continue to accompany its customers in their development and to elaborate with them the solutions needed to answer their most demanding technological challenges.”
Vallourec is world leader in the production of seamless steel tubes designed primarily for the Oil & Gas and Power generation sectors, as well as for other industrial applications.
Valinox Nucléaire is a fully owned subsidiary of Vallourec. Its Montbard plant, established in 1974, produces U-bent tubes and various specialty tubular products made of stainless steel and nickel alloys designed exclusively for nuclear power plants. Valinox Nucléaire is also head and founding member of the Burgundy Nuclear Partnership, a cluster of over 100 companies active in R&D, education and component manufacturing for the nuclear sector.
Valtimet,a 95% owned subsidiary of Vallourec, is a world leader in the production of stainless steel and titanium welded tubes for secondary systems in conventional and nuclear power plants. Established in 1975, Valtimet has a production unit in Venarey-les-Laumes, at the heart of the “PNB” (France), and in Brunswick (U.S.). It also has subsidiaries in China, India, and South Korea.
