Toronto, February 10, 2003 (NYSE: CGT; TSX: CAE) CAE, a world leader in the supply of power plant simulators, today announced it has been awarded a C$6 million contract by Romania’s Nuclearelectrica SA to update and modernize the plant simulator for its Cernavoda Unit 1 CANDU 6 nuclear reactor, in operation since 1996.
Under the contract, CAE will provide new instructor stations, replace the simulator’s VAX 4500 computers with Linux-based PC servers, and replace a large number of the existing simulation models with high fidelity versions generated in ROSE®, CAE’s component-based, visual programming environment. As well, the reactor core model will be replaced with CAE’s COMET™, a higher fidelity model, auto-generated in CAE’s powerful Chorus™ graphic utility.
‘It is a privilege to continue our long-standing association with Nuclearelectrica,’ said Rashid Khan, Executive Vice President, Marine and Power Systems, CAE, ‘Nuclearelectrica is the first CANDU operator to make the leap forward to the next generation of CANDU simulator technology.’
In addition, the Unit 1 simulator’s Digital Control Computer (DCC) will be replaced by a software-based emulation. The original DCC, a fully functional plant control unit developed by CAE a decade ago, will be repurposed as a back-up for the Unit 1 reactor. CAE has also been contracted to deliver – in conjunction with Canada’s AECL – an updated DCC for Cernavoda’s Unit 2 reactor, now under construction.
‘CAE has proven a trustworthy partner throughout our long association,’ said Ioan Rotaru, Director General, Nuclearelectrica. ‘We are very pleased to be working with CAE to modernize our plant simulator,’ he said.
Nuclearelectrica was founded in 1998 to manage the generating station, located on the lower Danube River, about 70 km west of the Black Sea via the Danube-Black Sea Canal. The plant’s 700 MW Unit 1 is powered by a CANDU 6 heavy water-type nuclear power plant, and supplies about 10 per cent of Romania’s energy requirements.
CAE is a global leader in providing advanced simulation and controls equipment and integrated training solutions for customers in the marine, military, and civil aviation markets. With annual revenues in excess of $1 billion, CAE employs more than 6,000 people in Canada, the United States and around the globe.