Nuclear News Weekly Roundup – 12/11 - 12/15

The Bradwell B Project Begins Geological Survey for NPP Site

On December 11th, the Bradwell B (BRB) project, where China’s HPR1000 export in Britain will be built, began its geological survey for the NPP site. It is the first on-site “ground work” of the project and an important step toward formal construction. According to Mr. Zhen Dongshan, General Manager of CGN’s project companies in Britain, primary work at this stage is to obtain field data for seismic analysis, including measurements of seismic refraction, microseism, seismic reflection, resistivity, etc. The BRB site is located on the Essex coast near London and is close to the Bradwell A NPP which is under decommissioning.

Key Installation Milestones Reached for HPR1000s at Fuqing NPP

First commissioning task for Fuqing Unit 5 was completed on the afternoon of December 12th. It marks that Fuqing Unit 5 is now at the stage of comprehensive commissioning. The first commissioning is the “TP7LBO12 direct current switchboard logic simulation test,” simulating various fault scenarios to verify their respective alarm signals. Engineers from CNNC’s China Nuclear Power Engineering Corporation (CNPEC) conducted the commissioning.

As of mid-December, the HPR1000s at Fuqing NPP have progressed smoothly. Fuqing Unit 5 accomplished successful installation of the first RCP’s pump shell, and Fuqing Unit 6 has completed civil construction on the reactor building internal silo.

New Development on the Sanming NPP in Fujian Province

On December 8th, Wang Chaoteng, Vice GM of Sanming Nuclear Power Co., Ltd, and Xiao Yuqin, Deputy County Mayor of Jiangle Country, signed the Strategic Cooperation Framework between Sanming Nuclear Power Company and Jaingle County Government together. The framework states that both sides will promote the Sanming NPP project as well as the economic development in Jiangle County; they will also commit to environmental protection, NPP site protection, public education campaign, and information exchange with local residents.

2018 Shanghai Direct Electricity Sales Plan Released, 1 Billion kWh Quota for Nuclear Power

Last Thursday (December 14th), the Shanghai Development and Reform Commission, the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization, and East China Energy Regulatory Bureau of National Energy Administration jointly released the 2018 Direct Electricity Sales Work Plan for Electricity Customers and Power Generation Enterprises in Shanghai. The plan estimates that approximately 15-billion kWh’s amount of power will be sold in Shanghai’s direct electricity sales market next year. Nuclear Power Qinshan Joint Operation Company and Qinshan Third Nuclear Power Company, Qinshan Phase II & III’s operator and owners, will have a quota of 1-billion kWh’s amount of power in the electricity market. Nuclear power is still a small share of the market comparing to the 15-billion kWh amount designated to China Yangzi Power, a subsidiary of China Three Gorges Corporation and a hydropower utility. The primary trading mechanisms include annual bilateral negotiation, annual listed trading, and annual centralized auction. Mid-term or short-term trades will also be performed based on real-time market demand.