Accenture (NYSE: ACN) and UniStar Nuclear Energy (UNE) have extended their agreement to design, build, operate, and maintain the ‘Galaxy’ IT platform, capable of supporting the data needs of nuclear energy facilities.
The new agreement, which adds to the original contract signed in April 2008, covers additional work necessary for Accenture to support business processes, including configuration management of detailed design data and management of data associated with required inspections; testing, and analyses; and use of acceptance criteria involved with the construction of nuclear energy facilities. The agreement also calls for Accenture to market and distribute Galaxy in collaboration with UNE to companies engaged in the design, construction and operation of nuclear energy facilities.
UNE, a strategic joint venture of Constellation Energy (NYSE: CEG) and EDF Group, Europe’s largest electric energy producer, has proposed building a fleet of 1,600-megawatt U.S. EPR™ reactors, known for their advanced design and robust safety features. The concept of the Galaxy platform has been an integral part of the planning and potential development of the first of UNE’s proposed nuclear energy facilities, Calvert Cliffs 3 in southern Maryland.
Accenture and UNE already have completed the Galaxy enterprise architecture and overall software design. Galaxy’s initial phases, delivered in September 2008, addressed business needs in the areas of regulatory requirements, facility licensing, and document and records management.
“UniStar is committed to developing and deploying a fleet of advanced, new nuclear energy facilities to help meet our nation’s need for clean, efficient, environmentally-friendly electricity generation that is available 24 hours a day seven day a week,” said George Vanderheyden, president and chief executive officer of UNE. “Galaxy’s innovative architecture will be a key factor in helping us to achieve that goal by providing UNE and our customer-partners with greater certainty and finer control of costs and schedules associated with new nuclear energy development.”
Daniel P. Krueger, managing director of Accenture’s Power Generation practice said, “We believe Galaxy’s standardized and interoperable approach delivers the most effective capabilities to support the licensing, design, construction and operation of new nuclear energy facilities. Our work with UniStar continues to position Accenture at the leading edge of the new nuclear energy renaissance.”
UNE and Accenture believe Galaxy will transform the manner in which nuclear energy facilities create, modify, share, and store information during all phases of their 60-year-plus lifecycles, from licensing through construction and decommissioning. Galaxy is unique in that it is the only information and knowledge-management platform that provides nuclear energy operators and their suppliers with collaborative toolsets to help improve accuracy, reliability and efficiency during every stage of a nuclear energy facility’s lifecycle.
About UniStar
UniStar Nuclear Energy, a strategic joint venture between Constellation Energy (NYSE: CEG) and EDF Group, is powering the nuclear renaissance in North America through industry leadership, disciplined business practices and effective risk-management. Based in Baltimore, UniStar Nuclear Energy provides the licensing, construction and operating services needed to support the expansion of clean, safe and sustainable nuclear energy in the United States.
About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. With approximately 177,000 people serving clients in over 120 countries, the company generated net revenues of US$23.39 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2008. Its home page is www.accenture.com.
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