TVEL signs further Tianwan fuel contracts

Russian nuclear fuel manufacturer JSC TVEL has signed contracts for the supply of fuel and engineering services for units 1 and 2 of the Tianwan nuclear power plant. The units are Russian-supplied VVER-1000 reactors, of which two more are under construction at the site in China's Jiangsu province.

Russian nuclear fuel manufacturer JSC TVEL has signed contracts for the supply of fuel and engineering services for units 1 and 2 of the Tianwan nuclear power plant. The units are Russian-supplied VVER-1000 reactors, of which two more are under construction at the site in China's Jiangsu province.

The signing of the contracts (Image: CNNC)

The package of contracts was signed in Beijing on 26 April by TVEL, China Nuclear Energy Industry Corporation (CNEIC) and Jiangsu Nuclear Power Corporation (JNPC). TVEL - part of the Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom - said the contracts are worth a total of some $1 billion.

Under the contracts, TVEL will supply zirconium components for TVS fuel assemblies; an additional shipment of TVS-2M fuel for Tianwan unit 1; additional TVS-2M fuel for unit 2; and, engineering services for both units.

CNNC said, "The signing of the contracts will provide a guarantee for the reliable supply of nuclear fuel for the Tianwan nuclear power plant in the future, and provide a guarantee of spare parts for the processing of domestic fuel components."

TVEL president Yury Olenin said, "For many years JSC TVEL has been providing regular supplies of highly-efficient safe fuel and components for the Tianwan NPP units." He added, "Our cooperation is not limited to fuel supplies. We provide services to support the operation of fuel and to transfer the units to more fuel-efficient cycles."

Chinese regulators licensed the modified fuel TVS-2M design, following completion of pilot operations using six TVS-2M assemblies at Tianwan 1. Following the successful conclusion of the pilot study, Tianwan 1 and 2 - which both began operating in 2007 - were due to be converted to 18-month operating cycles using the fuel from 2014.

Tianwan units 3 and 4 will be AES-91 VVER-1000 units designed by Gidropress and supplied by Rosatom. Unit 3 is scheduled to begin operating in February 2018 with unit 4 following in March 2019.

In October 2013, TVEL signed a contract with CNEIC and JNPC worth over $1 billion for scheduled deliveries of TVS-2M fuel for Tianwan 3 and 4 until 2025. It includes first cores for both units and six complete refuelling sets for Tianwan 3. Subsequent TVS-2M fuel for use at the two units will be manufactured at China's Yibin fuel plant using technology transferred from TVEL. Yibin has been producing VVER fuel for Tianwan since 2009, using technology transferred from TVEL.

CNEIC is an international trading company directly owned by the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and authorized to carry out import and export trade of uranium products, nuclear fuel cycle and nuclear power and technology equipment.

JNPC - owner and operator of the Tianwan plant - a joint venture between CNNC (50%), China Power Investment Corporation (30%) and Jiangsu Guoxin Group (20%).

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News