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Russia and China deal on uranium, enrichment and power

Thursday, 8 November 2007

Atop-level meeting of Russian and Chinese executives and officials hasseen Russia agree to supply uranium, enrichmentcapacity and two new power reactors to China. Tenex are to aid theconstruction of enrichment cascades and supply low-enriched uranium for 11 years from 2010.

The two countries met on 6 November in line with the procedures of a 1992 cooperation agreement. Part of that deal was for Russia to supply uranium enrichment capacity in the form of gas centrifuges and it was agreed that a 500,000 separative work unit (SWU) cascade at the Hanzhun site would be the final part of that aspect of that accord.

Already operating at Hanzhun is Russian-supplied enrichment capacity amounting to 500,000 SWU, which was installed in the late 1990s. Discussions between the parties on exactly how much more capacity would come under the deal delayed this week's agreement by over a year.

This and other framework agreements were signed by Sergei Kiriyenko, head of Russia's Federal Atomic Energy Agency (Rosatom) and Zhang Qinwei, chairman of China's Defense Science, Technology and Industry Committee.

Technical aid on the implementation of the new Hanzhun project is to be carried out under an agreement between Russia's Tenex and the Chinese Nuclear Energy Industry Company (CNEIC). Tenex have also agreed to supply low-enriched uranium products to CNEIC for 11 years from 2010, and draft contracts for that are to be submitted to CNEIC by the end of this month. Alexei Grigoriev and Chen Sinyan signed on behalf of their respective companies.

In addition, a framework agreement was signed for the construction of two more nuclear power reactors at the Tianwan site. Russia's AtomStroyExport (ASE) started work on units 1 and 2 in 1999 and commissioned them in 2006 and 2007 for Jiangsu Nuclear Power Company. The new units will match the existing pair, which are 1060 MWe pressurized water reactors of the Russian VVER-1000 design.

Further information

AtomStroyExport
CNEIC
Tenex

WNA's Nuclear Power in China information paper
WNA's Nuclear Power in Russia information paper

WNN: Tianwan 2 enters commercial operation
WNN: Tianwan 2 run at full power