Weir : How trust contributed to world record performance

By Kevin McGurk, Head of Valves, Weir - Alloa facility

EDF Energy's Heysham 2 power station grabbed headlines in October when they reported a continuous 940 days of generation, smashing the world record for a power station previously held by Pickering plant in Ontario (894 days). For many industry experts, the record has been recognised as a high water mark which will stand for some time. EDF Energy CEO Vincent de Rivaz described the performance as 'outstanding'.

I wanted to give you an insight into the story behind this headline. Nuclear power stations are complex, and each one has different demands and requires specialist knowledge. 940 days can only be reached through precise coordination, scenario planning, good communication and team trust, so EDF need to be applauded on all fronts. A continuous operation like this actually means that homes all over the UK get better value for the money from their leading supplier.

Weir Engineering Services is an engineering specialist providing equipment and maintenance solutions which are an integral part of ongoing performance. Last year, Weir Engineering Services delivered 400,000 man hours of services to EDF Energy's UK fleet - helping keep the lights on. We are proud of the partnership we have with EDF and the role we play in their vital role to society.

Images - courtesy of EDF Energy

Our focus is very much on valves & actuators covering isolation, safety, and control duties in the station - we cover refurbishment, repair, and predictive analysis. Heysham 2 was built in 1980 and is reaching a key stage in the design life as EDF plans to extend its working life to 2030. This extension is an important factor, because we need to help ensure that our customer can optimise the operating life, safety performance, and ultimately deliver value to electricity users. In practice that means ensuring the 550 or so valves on site operate to design, and unplanned outages and costly risks are prevented. When working with customers, close working relationship is vital to successful delivery - it's about qualified personnel understanding the job quickly, knowing the customer, the site and vice versa, and then returning the plant safely, fit for 3 years reliable operation.

In order to do that, Weir deploys a mobile team of around 115 highly skilled people to work 'in-situ', effectively working within the station in partnership with the EDF team to keep the reactors online for longer. Everything is planned to fine detail, and we understand the pressure points and opportunities having worked with EDF for a number of years across its UK fleet. A key factor for our EDF is the proportion of 'returnables' - a term use for those skilled contractors who return to manage outages and maintenance year on year, which has the benefit of more familiarity with the station, processes, and people, ensuring we can deliver meaningful momentum to any project. This year, over 85% of Weir qualified contractors were 'returnables', a great result.

My colleague Craig Hutton, Project Manager, commented: 'We should recognise the efforts of Paul McDermott and his team for helping Heysham 2 safely extend the operational life and contribute to EDF Energy's world record. Weir is a proven leader in providing services and integral products for power stations globally, with current projects in Canada, France, South Africa, UK, USA and South Korea, and we should all continue to aspire to deliver high standards and solutions.'

Images - courtesy of EDF Energy

Heysham 2 are currently in planned outage and Weir will be playing our role in the partnership. Looking ahead, I'm now thinking about how we can support the next record-breaker and planning how we can improve on what we do today. Innovation will be vital, whether it is through connectivity, in-situ valve seat replacements, or predictive maintenance, I'm confident Weir has the people and knowledge to get the job done. Nuclear energy is very much part of a low carbon future for society and we believe the UK will continue to lead the sector globally.

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