Reactor vessel in place at second San'ao unit

Tuesday, 20 August 2024

The vessel - manufactured by Shanghai Electric Nuclear Power Equipment Company Limited - departed from Shanghai on 30 July and arrived at the San'ao site on 2 August after four days of sea transportation. Following two days of channel clearing and other preparatory work, unloading and hoisting work was carried out at the quay on 4 August.

"On 17 August, after unpacking inspection, on-site transportation, hoisting to the 17.5-metre platform, internal inspection of the container, flipping and translation, the reactor pressure vessel of unit 2 of the San'ao Nuclear Power Project was successfully put in place," CGN said. "The whole process took 14 days, marking that the installation of the main equipment of unit 2 has entered a new stage and laid a solid foundation for subsequent main pipeline welding, main pump installation and other work."

CGN describes the reactor pressure vessel - weighing about 300 tonnes - as the "heart" of a nuclear power plant. The pressure vessel is mainly responsible for fixing and supporting the internal components of the reactor, ensuring that the fuel assemblies are supported and positioned in the core at a certain distance, and limiting the nuclear reaction inside it.

San'ao 2 is the second of six Chinese-designed HPR1000 (Hualong One) pressurised water reactors planned at the site.

In May 2015, the National Energy Administration approved the project to carry out site protection and related demonstration work at San'ao. On 2 September 2020, the executive meeting of the State Council approved the construction of units 1 and 2 as the first phase of the plant. China's National Nuclear Safety Administration issued a construction permit for the two units on 30 December that year and first concrete for unit 1 was poured the following day. The first concrete for San'ao 2 was poured on 30 December 2021.

San'ao 1 and 2 are scheduled to begin supplying electricity in 2026 and 2027, respectively.

The San'ao plant is the first nuclear power project in China's Yangtze River Delta region to adopt the Hualong One reactor design.

The San'ao project marks the first Chinese nuclear power project involving private capital, with Geely Technology Group taking a 2% stake in the plant. China General Nuclear (CGN) holds 46% of the shares of the project company Cangnan Nuclear Power, with other state-owned enterprises holding the remainder.