GDES has been chosen to install the Darmatt KM1 endothermic fire protection system for cable trays at the Vandellós II Nuclear Power Plant, in compliance with the requirements of the NRC (the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission). Moreover, this system stands apart from existing protection systems because it is reusable, which saves on maintenance costs and reduces waste.

The GDES project at Vandellós II NPP will be developed over 3 phases: detailed engineering, manufacturing and supply and, finally, the installation phase.

GDES has already completed the first phase of the project with great success thanks in part to the innovative system used for the detailed engineering. The installation was scanned with 3D laser and this information was used to carry out three-dimensional modelling of the cable trays in a BIM (Building Information Model), and then the fire protection configurations were incorporated. This eliminates the need to build scaffolding for the data collection phase and entails enormous improvements in terms of risk reduction on three levels: Occupational Safety, due to the risks involved in working at height and Nuclear Safety hazards, avoiding potential accidents; risks related to SSCs (safety-related Structures, Systems and Components) during the assembly and transport of scaffolding; and, lastly, the reduction of radiological costs by reducing exposure times of workers taking measurements in areas with high dose rates.