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China approves 11 new units


round up


NEW BUILD CONCRETE PREPARATION FOR the foundation of VVER-1200 reactor at unit 8 of the Leningrad NPP lasted about two months and was completed two and a half months ahead of schedule, according to general contractor TITAN-2. Earlier, the construction of the pit for the building of the unit 8 reactor was completed two weeks ahead of schedule.


Above: Beijing has stepped up its nuclear development campaign with approval for 11 new reactors


China’s State Council has reaffirmed the country’s commitment to new nuclear with the approval for 11 new reactors across five sites. The investment for the 11 units is expected to reach some 220bn yuan ($31bn) in total. China General Nuclear Power (CGN Power)


said in a statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that it had received approval to construct six new reactors. These include approval for CGN Power subsidiary Shandong Zhaoyuan Nuclear Power Co Ltd to construct two 1,214 MWe Hualong One reactors as units 1&2 of the Zhaoyuan NPP in Shandong province. CGN subsidiary CGN Lufeng Nuclear Power Co


Ltd was also approved to build two 1,245 MWe CAP1000 reactors as units 1&2 of the Lufeng NPP in Guangdong province. In addition, CGN Cangnan Second Nuclear Power Co Ltd received approved to build two 1,215 MWe Hualong One reactors as units 3&4 of the Cangnan San’ao NPP in Zhejiang province. “Currently, the company is carrying out


various preparatory work for the construction of the above-mentioned units in an orderly manner, the full construction of which will begin when the Permit for Nuclear Power Station Construction has been obtained,” CGN said. Meanwhile, China National Nuclear


Corporation (CNNC) said Phase I of Xuwei will include two Hualong One PWRs and one HTGC reactor. It will be the world’s first high- temperature gas-cooled reactor to be coupled with a PWR for high temperature industrial process steam and electricity. The project will reportedly supply some 32.5 million tonnes of industrial steam and over 11 TWh annually. In addition, State Power Investment


Corporation (SPIC) has been given approval for two CAP1000 PWRs for phase 1 of the Bailong nuclear power plant, the first to be developed by SPIC in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Four further CAP reactors are planned for later phases of the Bailong project.


In November 2022 the Ministry of Ecology &


Environment announced the formal acceptance of the environmental impact assessment documents covering the site selection stage for Zhaoyuan NPP, which is planned to host six Hualong One units. Two Hualong One units are already under


construction at Lufeng NPP as units 5&6. The site is also to have four CAP 1000 units (1-4), the first two of which have now been approved. The CAP1000 design is the Chinese version of the Westinghouse AP1000. The San’ao plant is China’s first nuclear power project with private equity participation. The project includes plans to build six units with Hualong One reactors. Units 1&2 are already under construction with the vessel top cover of unit 1 recently installed. The five nuclear projects, which include


advanced designs like the Hualong One and a Gen IV HTGR represent the largest number of units approved at one time and bolsters China’s commitment to advancing its nuclear credentials. Commenting on the development George


Borovas, Partner and nuclear practice lead at law firm Hunton Andrews Kurth, said: “China’s approval of new nuclear reactors further demonstrates the country’s reliance on atomic energy for energy security and its commitment to reducing emissions. The reactors will feature various designs, including the latest Chinese Gen III+ and Gen IV models. With China poised to surpass the US and France in nuclear power capacity by the end of the decade, the Chinese government’s commitment to nuclear power is undeniable. Importantly, however, this domestic push and commitment will soon impact China’s export ambitions. We can expect China to become even more active in the international market, competing with reactors from the US, France, Russia, South Korea, and Japan”. ■


For more on China see page 42 www.neimagazine.com | September 2024 | 7


AT UNIT 3 of the Akkuyu NPP under construction in Türkiye, the fifth tier of the internal containment shell has been installed. The ring-shaped welded metal structure weighing 396 tonnes and 6.5 m high, was assembled next to unit 3 and was moved to location by crawler crane.


THE FIRST OF four steam generators has been installed at unit 8 of China’s Tianwan NPP in Jiangsu province. The 330-tonne steam generator is more than 14 metres long with a maximum diameter of 4.5 metres. The steam generators for Tianwan 8 were produced at Rosatom’s Atommash site in Volgodonsk in southern Russia.


UPGRADES MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES (MHI) has received orders from Kansai Electric Power Co for the manufacture and replacement of the reactor core internals for units 1&2 of its Takahama NPP in Japan’s Fukui Prefecture – both 826 MWe pressurised water reactors. The replacement work will be done during periodic inspections of unit 1 from June to December 2028, and at unit 2 from November 2028 to April 2029.


RUSSIA’S INSTITUTE OF Reactor Materials (IRM), part of Rosatom’s Scientific Division, has completed the procedures necessary to extend the service life of the IVV-2M pressurised water research reactor until the end of 2040. IVV-2M is one of the basic reactor installations for materials science research of fuel, absorbent and structural materials necessary for the creation of innovative designs of power reactors.


CANADA’S BRUCE POWER has achieved a milestone in its Major Component Replacement (MCR) project by completing the unit 3 reactor removal series safely and ahead of schedule. The removal series was completed faster than in the unit 6 MCR by leveraging the experience and innovation through lessons learned and technological advancement. The calandria tube removal set a Candu refurbishment record, finishing 11 days ahead of schedule.


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