$600-million contract for SNC-Lavalin and Aecon for refurbishment of Darlington nuclear plan

$600-million contract for SNC-Lavalin and Aecon for refurbishment of Darlington nuclear plant: http://www.thestar.com/business/article/1139270--snc-lavalin-aecon-win-darlington-nuclear-contract?bn=1 "SNC-Lavalin Nuclear and Aecon Construction have been awarded a $600-million contract for the overhaul of the four reactors at the Darlington nuclear plant.
The contract is the first of seven that will make up the multi-billion-dollar refit of the giant nuclear station, which is due for a mid-life refurbishment.
Previous nuclear projects in Ontario have gone badly over budget, and opposition New Democrats criticized the contract award
But Energy Minister Chris Bentley says this time meticulous planning and preparation will keep costs in line.
“What was announced today was a different approach,” said Bentley in an interview.
Planners will map out the work into 30-minute segments, Bentley said. And a training centre with mock-ups of complex components of the nuclear station will allow crews to practice tasks before they start on the real reactors.
“One of the reasons they’re doing such an extensive design, planning preparation exercise is so they can map out the construction, and transfer any risks of missing those construction timelines to the contractor,” he said.
The initial $600 million contract will cover the planning phase of the project.
The price for the second phase – executing the work – will be determined once the plan has been completed. Planning should be finished by 2016, and work completed by 2023. "