AVEVA signs a long term strategic partnership to strengthen EDF

EDF and AVEVA have formed a long-term agreement to advance EDF’s 3D nuclear engineering programme and provide cutting-edge energy efficiency. With its AVEVA E3D Design solution and other components of the AVEVA Unified Engineering solution, AVEVA will support EDF’s SWITCH digital transformation programme. EDF’s engineering design portfolio will be strengthened by speedier design and delivery of nuclear facilities, as well as increased safety and performance criteria.

EDF Group Executive Director – Engineering and New Nuclear Project, Xavier Ursat commented, “The SWITCH digital transformation program is critical to reinforce EDF’s ambition of producing low-carbon electricity and achieving our carbon neutrality objective by 2050 across our portfolio. AVEVA has been a trusted partner for EDF for more than 30 years, helping us to accomplish our digital transformation. AVEVA understands our requirements and we trust them to enable us to accelerate our clean energy goals. This extended long-term partnership supports our engineering design and operation steams and empowers them to optimize operational performance and to exploit nuclear energy efficiently.”

AVEVA CEO Peter Herweck said, “We are proud to have built a trusted partnership with EDF that serves as the foundation stone of its digital transformation vision and sustainability program. Our market-leading digital engineering design enables us to support EDF in driving their net-zero energy strategy for the benefit of end consumers throughout the world. With our new agreement, AVEVA will help EDF accelerate engineering collaboration, connect teams and unlock higher performance through shared contextual data and intelligence. We look forward to assisting EDF’s expert engineers to cut design time, improve collaboration and accelerate efficient decision-making to develop the nuclear industry of the future.”

Several hundred users from various global locations will be able to collaborate within a digital twin repository by streamlining data from various design disciplines, such as mechanical, electrical, and civil works. This will eliminate siloed engineering design approaches, avoid data inconsistencies, and eliminate duplication. Users will be able to interact on shared 3D models simultaneously using AVEVA technology, enhancing the competitiveness of EDF’s nuclear engineering design procedures.

This collaboration builds on AVEVA and EDF’s long-standing relationship. Since the 1980s, AVEVA has provided EDF with 3D digital engineering solutions for its N4 nuclear stations. AVEVA’s capabilities have so far helped EDF achieve its long-term nuclear ambition by decreasing operational labour hours and improving data consistency.

The new partnership between AVEVA and EDF is expected to generate the following results:

• Reduction in design work times and in engineering work times.
• Decrease in the need for re-work due to consistently accurate and high-quality deliverables.
• Faster development rate of 3D models.
• Greater project visibility for all project stakeholders
• Greater collaboration between design and engineering teams.
• Extended asset lifespans and the ability to reduce CO₂ emissions.

The new agreement will see AVEVA digital design systems implemented as the gold standard for all new EDF nuclear projects.