South Korean components completion for Sheffield Forgemasters

Published: 8 December 2011

Critical components for the civil nuclear power programme in South Korea have been completed by Sheffield Forgemasters.

The engineering specialist, which is the only UK company carrying ASME certification to manufacture civil nuclear castings and forgings, has supplied forgings for the reactor coolant pumps in South Korea’s new wave of nuclear power plants.

The seven figure sum contract provided safety critical components and highlights the Sheffield-based company’s increasing profile as a key manufacturer for the international civil nuclear supply chain.

Jenna Graseley, Nuclear Forgings sales manager at Sheffield Forgemasters, said: “The order was for forgings for seal housings and covers for Westinghouse designed reactor coolantpumps at the Shin Kori project, part of the South Korean nuclear power programme.

“There was a lot of pressure to deliver this contract on time and we even exceeded expectations by early completion.”

The contract was to create eight sets of components, each set made up of two forgings weighing in at three and a half tonnes.

This is one of a series of orders that Sheffield Forgemasters has produced for the Korean programme and the components are designed for a new 1400MW power plant.

Graham Honeyman, chief executive, said: “Sheffield Forgemasters is servicing a global nuclear power market, which is expanding to feed a significant shortfall in power generation capacity across the globe. There are less than ten companies in the world capable of this type of civil nuclear power manufacturing.

“Sheffield Forgemasters has a long and proven history in supplying to the nuclear industries and it is important that the UK retains an option to manufacture for new power plants as this demand increases.”