Steel liner installation starts at Chinese EPR

01 April 2010

The initial section of the steel liner of the reactor building at unit 1 of the Taishan nuclear power plant in Guangdong province, China has been lifted into place. Other sections will be laid on top to form part of the unit's containment building.

 

The first prefabricated module of the steel liner - with a diameter of over 40 metres and 5 metres high and weighing some 115 tonnes - was lifted into place on 20 March using an 800-tonne crawler crane. The operation took two hours and 40 minutes, Guangdong Nuclear Power Company (CGNPC) reported.

 

Taishan - March 2010 (CGNPC)

Installation of the steel liner starts at Taishan (Image: CGNPC)

 

A further three steel liner modules are to be constructed on site, 140 kilometres west of Hong Kong, prior to being hoisted into position in the reactor building for unit 1. Steel liners have previously been installed panel by panel.

 

Areva is constructing two 1650 MWe EPRs at Taishan under contracts signed in November 2007. The units are modelled on the EPR currently being built at Flamanville in France. Construction of the first Taishan EPR began in October 2009 and the units are scheduled to start up in 2013 and 2015, respectively.

 

Electricité de France (EdF) and CGNPC have created a joint venture - Guangdong Taishan Nuclear Power Joint Venture Co Ltd (TNPC) - to co-own and operate the two Taishan reactors. EdF holds 30% of the joint venture company.

 

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News