GDES (GD Energy Services) has been awarded a new maintenance contract for the surface treatment and anti-corrosion coatings of the reactors in the Blayais and Civaux nuclear power plants in France. This contract is for a period of 5 years, with an option for a further 3 years, and was awarded by EDF (Électricité de France), the largest electricity producer in France and Europe.

With this new contract, GDES is now responsible for maintenance services at a total of 12 reactors out of the 56 that are active in the country, representing 21.4% of all French nuclear power plants. This means that GDES is now the company with the highest level of surface maintenance and coating activity in the French nuclear industry. The Blayais and Civaux plants have now been added to the GDES maintenance portfolio, which includes the St. Laurent, Bugey, Cruas and Tricastin plants.

The services to be carried out under this contract will focus on the maintenance of the special surfaces and coatings required for the exterior and interior areas of the reactors. These tasks are essential to guarantee the correct maintenance of buildings and structures, protecting the plant against erosion and corrosion. For this project, GDES will deploy 6 professionals at each of the nuclear power plants, plus the support team that will be required for additional tasks that arise during the course of the contract.

GDES also provides other services in France, such as chemical cleaning, waste management and the comprehensive maintenance of effluent storage tanks in various nuclear power plants. One of the largest projects in which GDES is participating is the construction of the ITER fusion reactor, the largest science and engineering project in the world, located in Cadarache (Provence), where GDES is the company tasked with applying all the coatings to the main and annex buildings.

 

GDES in France

France has the second largest number of nuclear reactors in the world, and the first in Europe: its 56 reactors is surpassed only by the United States, with 98. GDES has been operating in the French nuclear market for more than ten years, where it has successfully consolidated its position with an average annual growth rate of 77% over the last four years, reaching a turnover of 18 million euros in 2019.

For Héctor Dominguis, CEO of GDES, this award confirms the company’s strong position in the French nuclear market: “To be in charge of surface and coating maintenance services for 21% of all French nuclear facilities is a great achievement, the result of our efforts and our commitment to offer innovative, reliable and quality services, as strategic allies to our clients; and it is a sign of the impact that we hope to make in France in the coming years”.