Continuous Orders for Steel Plates For Chinese Dam Project
NKK has received an order from China National Water Resources & Electric Power Materials & Equipment Corporation to supply 4,000 tons of60kg-grade steel plates for penstock use in the Three Gorges Dam hydroelectric power plant project. Received through Marubeni Corporation,this marks a back-to-back order for NKK, following its previous order received in July 1998 to be the sole supplier of 13,000 tons of high-grade steel plates for spiral casings in the same project. In the latest international bidding, several major Japanese and foreign steel mills participated, but NKK came out on top with the sole order to supply steel plates for penstocks. The company's long record of supplying steel plates to the Chinese market and delivery capacity were highly appreciated,along with its ability in steel development technology. Penstocks are important components that require extreme durability in hydroelectric power stations.In the upper portion where water pressure is not very high, 50kg-grade high-tensile strength steel is commonly used, but the lower portion requires60kg-grade, 34-60mm thick steel plate to withstand the enormous water pressure. NKK will supply60kg-grade NK-HITEN 610U2 steel plates for this lower section. This heavily pressurized section is connected to spiral casings (underground aqueducts),for which NKK is also supplying the plates of the same specification. NK-HITEN 610U2 is a new series of high-tensile strength steel plates that can be welded under low temperature conditions up to a maximum thickness of 75mm. The plate is also highly resistant to low-temperature weld cracks and its use results in greater productivity of welding work. Construction of the Three Gorges Dam is well underway in the suburbs of Yichang, Hubei province.Due to be completed in 2009, it will be the world's largest hydroelectric power plant with26 power stations. The plant will generate 18.2million kilowatts, equal to about 9% of China's power demand, the largest such project of this century in the world. |
