Shaw to Offer EPC Services to Grand Gulf Nuclear Station

The Shaw Group Inc. (NYSE: SHAW) today announced it has been awarded a contract with Entergy Operation, Inc., a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation (NYSE: ETR), to provide extended power uprate (EPU) plant modifications at Grand Gulf Nuclear Station in Port Gibson, Miss. The new contract follows a phase one EPU assessment conducted by Shaw’s nuclear engineering team.

Under the new contract, Shaw will provide engineering, procurement and construction services designed to add approximately 178 megawatts of power generation to Grand Gulf Nuclear Station. Engineering and procurement are underway with construction to follow to install plant modifications in spring 2012.

Shaw subsidiaries have provided engineering or maintenance services to nuclear power plants owned or purchased by Entergy since 1973. Shaw’s maintenance contract with Entergy expanded in 2003 and was renewed in 2009 to provide fleetwide nuclear maintenance, modifications and capital construction services to Entergy.

Shaw also has provided several engineering studies and services in the past several years related to uprates at several Entergy nuclear plants, including:

• EPU work at Vermont Yankee
• Stretch power uprate (SPU) work at Indian Point Energy Center Units 2 & 3 and River Bend Station
• Feasibility studies at Grand Gulf Nuclear Station, James A. FitzPatrick, Pilgrim Nuclear Station and Vermont Yankee

“Our long history of nuclear engineering experience combined with our outstanding nuclear maintenance performance places Shaw in the best position to respond to industry demand to provide more energy,” said Fred Buckman, president of Shaw’s Power Group. "Our existing alliance with Entergy enhances our ability to provide them with qualified resources and perform the work needed to license and safely increase power ratings.”

The value of Shaw’s contract is $197 million, which will be included in Shaw’s Fossil, Renewables & Nuclear segment’s backlog of unfilled orders in the third quarter of fiscal year 2010.

Shaw has performed more than 60 uprate projects and studies on boiling water reactor (BWR) and pressurized water reactor (PWR) nuclear units, adding more than 3,000 megawatts to the U.S. grid. Shaw also leads the industry in systemwide maintenance and modification, servicing 35 percent of U.S. nuclear reactors, including Entergy Nuclear.

Source: http://www.shawgrp.com/