The Varese-based Italian multinational will supply the UK’s first new generation nuclear power plant with Air Coolers specially designed for this particular application. The project will provide 7% of the UK’s electricity from clean sources.

Uboldo (VA), 22 July 2024 – LU-VE Group, one of the world’s leading operators in the air heat exchanger sector, listed on the Euronext STAR segment of the Italian Stock Exchange, has signed – through its Friulian subsidiary Refrion – an agreement for the supply of cooling systems for the EDGs (emergency diesel generators) of the nuclear island of the Hinkley Point C power plant in Somerset, UK. The value of the contract, signed with the Nuclear New Build Generation Company (NNB) through the UK contractor Bouygues Energies & Services, is for approximately 27 million euros, with the supply of the first batches starting in 2025.

This is a highly strategic collaboration for the Group based in Uboldo, Varese, and its development plans, allowing it to expand its technical expertise and offer high-potential technological solutions in a strategic sector to achieve the Net Zero goal and protect the environment from the threat of climate change.

The complex and technologically advanced engineering project, once completed, will provide 7% of the United Kingdom’s electricity consumption. The Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant, built by EDF Energy, the British division of the French multinational electricity company EDF SA, is one of the largest projects ever undertaken in Europe. It is capable of generating 3,260 MW of electricity, contributing to Britain’s goal of obtaining zero-carbon electricity for about 6 million homes, with a savings of 9 million tons of CO2 each year.

LU-VE’s high-tech systems, designed to withstand shock waves caused by explosions and earthquakes, will cool the emergency diesel generators (EDGs) located within the nuclear island of the power plant. These generators are activated when the nuclear plant is disconnected from the grid, ensuring the power supply to critical components such as the reactor cooling system, which is necessary to ensure a controlled shutdown in an emergency. The project involves the creation of Air Coolers with entirely copper coils and high-strength steel structures, equipped with motors and fans developed in co-design with international players in the nuclear industry.

The components have been designed to last for the entire 60-year life cycle of the plant, in line with LU-VE’s goal – also in projects for other sectors – to integrate sustainability principles and standards to reduce environmental impact in all phases of the process, from design to product engineering.

Matteo Liberali, Chairman and CEO of LU-VE Group, stated: “We are proud to have been chosen to work on a project of this scale and complexity. The Hinkley Point contract demonstrates our high competence and innovative capacity and confirms LU-VE’s competitive market positioning, achieved thanks to the strategy of diversifying product applications, which, together with geographical diversification, represents one of our Group’s strengths. Entering the nuclear sector, achieved through our subsidiary Refrion, is an important step in our growth path, which offers new opportunities in light of the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan just submitted by the Italian Government to Brussels, aiming to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. My personal thanks go to the entire ‘special team’ for the great work done with dedication, passion, and exceptional technical competence.”