China looks forward to reactor firsts

China's first AP1000 reactor, Sanmen 1, is expected to begin commercial operation in September 2016, while governmental permission is expected for work to start on the first Chinese-designed CAP1400 by the end of this year.

China's first AP1000 reactor, Sanmen 1, is expected to begin commercial operation in September 2016, while governmental permission is expected for work to start on the first Chinese-designed CAP1400 by the end of this year.

Zhongtang Wang outlines China's nuclear plans (Image: World Nuclear Association)

Addressing the World Nuclear Association's annual Symposium in London last week, State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation (SNPTC) president Zhongtang Wang said that civil work has been completed at Sanmen 1. Installation of equipment is almost complete. Equipment tests are ongoing, and leakage tests are expected to be performed this month, with cold testing expected to start by the end of this year.

Sanmen 1, in Zhejiang province, is one of four Westinghouse-designed AP1000s currently under construction in China. Work officially began on the unit when the first concrete was poured in March 2009, with a second unit at Sanmen beginning construction in December the same year. Work began on two units at Haiyang in Shandong province in September 2009 and June 2010, respectively.

Wang said that validation and verification work on SNPTC's CAP1400 design, which is based on the AP1000, is making good progress. Many enhancements have been incorporated to further improve the reactor's passive safety features to incorporate lessons learned from the Fukushima accident, including new venting and filtering systems to preserve the integrity of the containment under severe accident conditions. China's National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA) has completed its safety review of the design.

SNPTC is now waiting for approval of the CAP1400 design from China's State Council, which Wang said is expected before the end of the year. Site preparations are already under way at a site 100km from the Haiyang nuclear site, and manufacturing of all the key equipment for the reactor plus conventional equipment including the generators and turbine has already begun.

By the end of 2015, China will have a total of 53 nuclear power units either operating or under construction. This figure should reach 88 by the end of 2020, Wang said.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News