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NEW BUILD FIRST CONCRETE HAS been poured for unit 2 of China’s Shidaowan NPP in Shandong Province, according to China Huaneng, which is planning to construct four Hualong One reactors at the site. China’s State Council approved the construction of Phase One (units 1&2) in July 2023 and first concrete for unit 1 was poured in July 2024.
THE CZECH GOVERNMENT has approved the method of financing the construction for the two new nuclear units planned at the Dukovany NPP. This will take the form of a state loan to the company Elektrárny Dukovany II (EDU II), which is in charge of the project. The state will hold an 80% stake in EDU II, for which power company
RUSSIA’S CYBERSTEEL, A manufacturer of high-tech seamless stainless pipes, has supplied 400,000 metres of pipes for the construction of the El Dabaa NPP in Egypt. The products intended for the assembly of steam generators were manufactured according to an individual technical from 08X18N10T grade steel.
UPGRADES
FINNISH POWER COMPANY Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) and the Nordic upgrading of units 1&2 at the Olkiluoto NPP. External funding to the investment said. The investment project, to be implemented in the coming years, will include replacement of the I&C and monitoring systems and steam separators.
PLANT OPERATION THE FAULTY ROTOR at unit 2 of Finland’s Olkiluoto NPP (OL2)’s generator has been replaced ,Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) reported. However, electricity production at the 890 MWe OL2 will continue at a power is being limited to reduce the risk of rotor failure. This power restriction is annual outage.
JAPAN’S NUCLEAR REGULATION Authority (NRA) has approved a draft screening report that found that unit 3 at Hokkaido Electric Power Company’s Tomari NPP complies with new post-Fukushima safety standards. NRA effectively confirmed that the reactor meets the safety standards, which is a prerequisite for its restart. The report is expected to be formally adopted this summer following a period for public comments.
Above: A graphic of the BN-1200 fast reactor
The Federal Service for Ecological, Technological & Nuclear Supervision of Russia (Rostekhnadzor) has issued a site licence to Rosenergoatom (Rosatom’s Electric Power Division) for unit 5 of the Beloyarsk NPP, which is to have a BN-1200M sodium-cooled fast reactor. The BN-1200M will be the world’s largest fast reactor, a position currently held by the BN-800 operating at Beloyarsk unit 4. To obtain the licence, a set of documents
was sent to Rostekhnadzor justifying the safety of the unit and its compliance with established technical regulations, federal norms and rules, and the Russian legislation. In addition, Atomenergoprojekt (part of Rosatom’s Engineering Division) received a positive opinion from Glavgoskpertiza, the General Directorate of State Expertise, on the technical aspects of the preparatory period of the project. To develop project documentation for the preparatory period, a number of comprehensive surveys were carried out at the site, which were recognised as complying with relevant technical regulations and requirements. In July 2024, Rosatom’s Engineering Division
(represented by Atomenergoproekt) and Rosenergoatom (represented by the Capital Projects Implementation Branch – Filiala po Realizatsii Kapitalnikh Proektov (FRKP) signed an agreement to develop design documentation for the construction of Beloyarsk 5. The contract includes a full cycle of design and survey work necessary for the development of design documentation and materials to substantiate the licence for the facility. Beloyarsk 5 with the BN-1200M Generation IV reactor will become the lead model for reactors of this type. “Siting the lead unit with a BN-1200M
fast reactor at the Beloyarsk NPP will make it possible to take another important step
6 | June 2025 |
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towards a two-component nuclear power industry and fully realise the environmental and economic advantages of a closed nuclear fuel cycle,” said Beloyarsk NPP Director Ivan Sidorov. “The staff of the Beloyarsk NPP have accumulated extensive experience in operating the unique BN-600 and BN-800 sodium-cooled fast reactors, so it is logical that the lead BN- 1200M will be established here.” The service life of the BN-1200M power unit will be at least 60 years. The project uses technical solutions that have proven themselves during the operation of predecessor fast reactor power units – the BN-600 (Beloyarsk 3) and the BN-800 (Beloyarsk 4). Justification of structural materials and fuel for the BN-1200M is carried out based on the work of the BN-600. The BN-1200M will include a number of
innovations. It will have four liquid sodium circulation loops compared with three for the BN-600 and BN-800. The volume of in-reactor storage will increase to enable fuel assemblies to be unloaded from the reactor directly into the cooling pool, eliminating the need for intermediate drums. In addition, the turbine condensers will be cooled by an evaporative cooling tower. In January, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin approved the general plan for electric power facilities to 2042. Beloyarsk 5 was included as one of the facilities planned for construction. “Preparatory work for the construction unit 5 will begin in 2025,” said Ivan Sidorov, director of the Beloyarsk NPP. “During this period, it is necessary to complete preparations for the first concrete in 2027. The selection of contracting organisations for the work will be carried out by JSC Atomstroyexport. Priority will be given to local companies from the Sverdlovsk region.” ■
Site licence issued for BN-1200 fast reactor
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