Peikko and Bouygues Travaux Publics innovating Nuclear Plant Construction
Peikko Group Corporation, a leading global supplier of concrete connections and composite structures, and Bouygues Travaux Publics, a French global player in construction, with operations in more than 60 countries, have signed a contract to cooperate and work together in developing and using a Steel Concrete (SC) construction method in Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) and Small Modular Reactor (SMR) building projects.
SC wall comprises of two steel plates, which have shear studs welded on the inner surface. These steel plates are connected by a grid of tie bars and the whole structure is infilled with concrete on site. When using the SC method, it is possible to significantly reduce the on-site construction schedule compared to traditional cast-in-situ reinforced concrete. This method is especially effective in heavy reinforced structures, such as nuclear power plants.
In addition, conventional bar reinforcement and temporary formwork are not needed at all.
With the full support of the European Union and the main French nuclear owners (EDF, CEA and ORANO), the SC construction method was tested in a full-scale pilot project (SCHEDULE project) by building an exact replica of the EDF’s diesel generator building for nuclear power plants.
This project has received funding from the Research Fund for Coal and Steel under grant agreement 800732. This building was constructed in the EDF testing area located in Les Renardières, France. Peikko manufactured all steel structures for this building and site work was carried out by Bouygues Construction Expertises Nucléaires, a subsidiary of Bouygues Travaux Publics. The on-site construction of the building structure lasted only 5 months.
The conclusion was a great success in terms of performance and is highly promising for the future of this SC technology.
“The target for this contract is to get Bouygues and Peikko strongly involved in growing the European market for new Nuclear projects and especially for new EPR and SMR, which are currently in the development phase worldwide”, says Raimo Lehtinen, Business Director, Peikko Group Corporation.
