Jakarta, Indonesia – June 6, 2023. HTS subsidiary, Safeguards 3 (S3), recently completed a project supporting the U.S. Department of State's Export Control and Related Border Security (ExBS) program in Jakarta with the Indonesian Directorate of Aviation Security, which hosted the aviation security performance testing workshop.
S3 partnered with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's National Security Directorate to train and consult participants who were able to conduct live-environment performance testing on the essential security elements of the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. The team had access to all parts of the airport and 15 airports across Indonesia were represented in the group, as well as senior aviation security officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
Rob Siefken, COO of S3, led the effort and stated, "Airport and aviation security is a critical component of national security. It was a privilege to work with the great team of security professionals responsible for Indonesia's aviation security."
The Department of State's ExBS program seeks to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and destabilizing accumulations and irresponsible transfers of conventional weapons by building effective national strategic trade control systems in countries that possess, produce, or supply strategic items, as well as in countries through which such items are most likely to transit. S3 personnel have assisted with training and consulting across the globe, with emphasis on the Middle East and Asia.
S3, a subsidiary of Hi Tech Solutions, delivers best-in-class safeguards and security training to government and private sector clients worldwide, with a focus on national security and nonproliferation, commercial nuclear, electricity and critical infrastructure, and education sectors.
Kennewick, WA – May 9, 2023. Hi Tech Solutions (HTS) has deployed our personnel across the U.S., playing a key role in supporting spring 2023 nuclear refueling outages directly and with our partners to keep the fleet running and producing reliable, baseload, zero emission electricity.
HTS is currently supporting refuel outages at the following nuclear power generation stations: Beaver Valley (PA, Energy Harbor), Braidwood (IL, Constellation), Catawba (SC, Duke Energy), Clinton (IL, Constellation), Columbia (WA, Energy Northwest), Comanche Peak (TX, Luminant), DC Cook (MI, AEP), Limerick (PA, Constellation), Monticello (MN, Xcel Energy), Quad Cities (IL, Constellation), Salem (NJ, PSEG), Surry (VA, Dominion), Turkey Point (FL, FP&L), VC Summer (SC, Dominion).
U.S. nuclear power plants typically refuel every 18 to 24 months, during the spring and fall when electricity demand is lower. Plants optimize this time by scheduling facility upgrades, repairs, and other balance of plant maintenance work while the nuclear reactor is offline. Refuel outages typically last from 20 – 60 days, with the average length of an outage in the U.S. decreasing from 44 days in 2000 to 32 days in 2021 (EIA).
Even with refueling outages, nuclear power runs nearly 93% of the time (capacity factor), day and night, windy and calm, cold and hot, by far the highest of all energy sources (solar – 25%, wind 35%, natural gas – 55%).
(Hope Creek and Salem Nuclear Generation Stations, photo by PSEG Nuclear LLC)
Salem County, NJ - November 1, 2022. Hi Tech Solutions (HTS) supported a successful outage at Hope Creek Nuclear Generation Station. All work was performed on schedule with first time quality and zero safety or human performance issues.
Hope Creek, owned and operated by PSEG Nuclear, is a single unit boiling water reactor (BWR) with total generating capacity of 1,185 megawatts net. The power plant began commercial service in 1986, is licensed to operate until 2046, and generates enough electricity to power approximately one million homes each day. Hope creek is located along with Salem Generating Station on a 740 acre site in Salem County, New Jersey. Together, the plants comprise the second largest nuclear generating facility in the United States, generate enough zero emmission electricity to power three million homes each day, and are the largest employer in Salem County with over 1,600 employees.
(Krško NPP, photo by NEK)
Vrbina, Krško, Slovenia - October 22, 2022 Hi Tech Solutions (HTS) palyed a critical role in supporting the Mechanical Stress Improvement Process (MSIP®) project for the Krško Nuclear Power Plant in Slovenia. HTS sent a team of technicians, supervisors, and project leaders to augment the Westinghouse / Nuvision Engineering team. All work was performed as scheduled with first time quality and zero safety or human performance issues.
The objective of the project was to prevent and mitigate any Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) which can compromise nuclear plant safety and availability. MSIP®, patented by NuVision Engineering, is a permanent solution for mitigating SCC in Nuclear Plant piping weldments. MSIP® uses a hydraulically operated clamp to contract the pipe on one side of the weldment. This removes tensile residual stress from the vulnerable area and generates a more favorable compressive stress pattern in its place. The result is prevention and permanent mitigation of SCC without the need for relief request. MSIP® is accepted by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission as a stress improvement process for mitigation of stress corrosion cracking in both boiling water reactor (BWR) and pressurized water reactor (PWR) plants.
The Krško NPP NPP operating company Nuklearna elektrarna Krško (NEK) is co-owned by the Slovenian state-owned company Gen Energija and the Croatian state-owned company Hrvatska elektroprivreda (HEP). The power plant is critical to the region, providing more than 20% of Slovenia's electricity and 16% of Croatia's electricity.