Sixth Yangjiang unit enters commercial operation

The 1000 MWe CGN-designed ACPR1000 pressurised water reactor achieved a sustained chain reaction for the first time (first criticality) on 22 June. Yangjiang 6 was connected to the electrical grid on 29 June.

Since then, a series of commissioning tests have been conducted at the unit, including a load test run and a demonstration run lasting 168 hours.

"Yangjiang unit 6's qualification for commercial operation means that six planned Yangjiang Nuclear power generation units have been put into operation," CGN Power said in a 24 July statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

"Yangjiang Nuclear will also obtain certificates, such as the Electric Power Business Permit, as per relevant requirements," the company noted. "Usually, the time when the relevant procedures have been completed are determined as the time when such a unit commences its commercial operation."

The first four units at Yangjiang are CPR-1000s, with units 5 and 6 being ACPR-1000s. Unit 1 entered commercial operation in March 2015, with units 2, 3 and 4 following in June 2015, January 2016 and March 2017, respectively. First concrete for Yangjiang unit 5 was poured in September 2013, with that for unit 6 following three months later. Unit 5 entered commercial operation in July 2018.

According to CGN, the six units at Yangjiang will generate some 48 terawatt hours of electricity annually. Compared with the equivalent generation using fossil fuels, the plant will reducing the consumption of standard coal by 14.83 million tonnes and carbon dioxide emissions by 38.78 million tonnes.

The plant is owned and operated by Yangjiang Nuclear Power Company Limited, which is 29% owned by CGN Power, 30% by CGN Power subsidiary GNIC, 7% by CGN Power associate company CGN Industry Investment Fund Phase I, 17% by Guangdong Yudean Group and 17% by Hong Kong-based power company CLP Holdings Limited.

Yangjiang 6 becomes CGN's 23rd power reactor in commercial operation, with a combined capacity of 25.39 GWe. It also has five units under construction with an installed capacity of 6.35 GWe.