Hongyanhe 1 completes cold tests

Friday, 14 October 2011 Cold testing of the nuclear island of unit 1 of the new Hongyanhe plant in Liaoning province in northeast China was successfully completed at 8.40am on 12 October. Cold tests are conducted once construction and equipment installation is complete and involve checking the nuclear island main equipment and systems to verify the integrity of the nuclear safety barriers. Further tests will be conducted to check the operation of equipment and instrumentation under normal working conditions, prior to the reactor entering the commissioning phase. Construction of Hongyanhe 1 - the first of four CPR1000 units currently being built at the site - started in August 2007. The plant will be owned and operated by Liaoning Hongyanhe Nuclear Power Co, a joint venture of China Guangdong Nuclear Power Corporation (CGNPC) and China Power Investment Corporation, each holding a 45% stake, with Dalian Construction Investment Group holding the remaining 10%. Hongyanhe 1 is scheduled to begin commercial operation by the end of 2012.