Bulgaria's Ambassador to U.S. Visits Westinghouse

		Ambassador Poptodorova (seated) inspects Westinghouse Electric Company's latest nuclear power plant control room equipment during her visit to Pittsburgh. This same equipment will be employed at the Belene Nuclear Power Plant in Bulgaria should Westinghouse be selected as supplier for Instrumentation and Control Systems. (PRNewsFoto/Westinghouse Electric Company) PITTSBURGH, PA UNITED STATES

PITTSBURGH, Sept. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The Honorable Elena Poptodorova, Bulgarian Ambassador to the United States, visited Westinghouse Electric Company headquarters here Friday to meet with company executives and view a demonstration of the newest Westinghouse nuclear power plant control room technology, the same technology the company hopes to provide for the Instrumentation and Control (I&C) systems for the Belene Nuclear Power Plant completion project. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060911/CLM053) The Ambassador's visit to Westinghouse was in conjunction with a trip to Pittsburgh, during which she hosted an Open House at the Bulgarian-Macedonia National Educational and Cultural Center. At Westinghouse, the Ambassador heard presentations on the Westinghouse I&C business and Westinghouse's participation in the Bulgarian energy sector. Discussions focused on the company's successful projects at Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP) Units 5 & 6 and Westinghouse's desire to participate in the Belene Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) completion project as the I&C supplier. The Westinghouse I&C project with Kozloduy Units 5 & 6 is unique, as it is a first-of-a-kind large scale I&C modernization project for a VVER type plant. Westinghouse is replacing the Russian I&C systems at KNPP Units 5 & 6 with state-of-the-art digital control systems, proven technology that improves system performance, reliability and safety, in compliance with U.S. and Western European standards. Since its beginning in 2001, the KNPP I&C modernization project has progressed on schedule and has even expanded as the result of continuous high- quality installations. Westinghouse has successfully implemented Computer Information Systems, Turbine Control Systems, Radiation Monitoring Systems and Primary Control Systems at KNPP. Implementation of Secondary Control Systems is currently in progress. Earlier this month, KNPP awarded Westinghouse a new contract to provide Primary Side Chemistry Monitoring Systems for KNPP Units 5 & 6. Westinghouse will provide an on-line chemistry analysis system to replace manual sample collection and laboratory analysis of 16 primary chemistry parameters. The chemistry system will provide information to the Kozloduy plant computer system for display in the control room and at other engineering work stations. Westinghouse's participation in the bid for the Belene NPP completion project, announced by National Electric Company in May 2005, is as a subcontractor to SKODA Alliance for I&C systems. Westinghouse is offering the latest version of Ovation(R) and Common Q technologies for the Belene NPP completion project. This is the same technology to be used on the new Westinghouse AP 1000 reactors worldwide. Based on Westinghouse's current performance during the Modernization Project at Kozloduy 5 & 6, Westinghouse's knowledge of local Bulgarian culture, existing Westinghouse in-country infrastructure, and Westinghouse's established working relationships with the customer and local Bulgarian companies, Westinghouse believes that its participation in the Belene NPP project would add significant value to the project. Ambassador Poptodorova commented on Westinghouse's technology and success at developing these working relationships. "The Westinghouse technology is well-known and has an outstanding reputation throughout the world. What I was really impressed with is the way Westinghouse works with the Bulgarian customer, demonstrating cultural understanding, flexibility, and a real sense of teamwork with the customer. This relationship is of a level which matches the technical capabilities," she said. Westinghouse Electric Company is the world's pioneering nuclear power company and is a leading supplier of nuclear plant products and technologies to utilities throughout the world. Westinghouse supplied the world's first PWR in 1957 in Shippingport, Pa. Today, Westinghouse technology is the basis for approximately one-half of the world's operating nuclear plants, including 60 percent of those in the United States.