China Nuclear News Weekly Roundup – 02/16 - 02/24

First FCD since 2017: Zhangzhou NPP Plans to Begin Construction on June 30th

CNNP released the Notice on Environmental Impacts During Construction Phase of Units 1&2 at Zhangzhou NPP in Fujian Province last Thursday. According to this document, the planned FCD of Unit 1 will be June 30th, 2019 with Unit 2 to begin construction ten months later. The two new builds will start commercial operation, ideally, in June 2024 and April 2025, respectively. Originally designated as AP1000s, the reactor designs were recently permitted to be switched to HPR1000, along with the two approved new builds at Huizhou NPP. The notice also reveals some technical specifications of the new builds: the NSSS has a rated thermal power output of 3190MWt and a normal electrical power output of 1212MWe; the reactors will have a refueling cycle of 18 months and a design life of 60 years. As no FCD took place in the past year, Zhangzhou Unit 1 will be the first new build since the end of 2017, when China’s first Gen IV fast reactor poured its first barrel of concrete in Xiapu, Fujian Province.

WANO Passes Plan to Establish the New Regional Center in Shanghai

On Feb. 21st, 2019 (local time in South Africa), the membership of the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) voted to establish a new Branch Office and Support Centre in Shanghai, China. The Shanghai Centre will be the fifth regional center in additional to the original ones in Atlanta, Paris, Moscow, and Tokyo. WANO also has a branch office in London. “WANO’s strategic move will make it easier for WANO to provide its full range of services to operators located in world’s fastest growing region for commercial nuclear power.” said WANO’s press release on the following day.   

Fuqing Unit 6’s Third Steam Generator in Place

On Feb. 19th, 2019, Fuqing Unit 6’s third steam generator was successfully placed inside the containment building and was ready to be installed. The subsequent step following its installation will be welding of the primary piping. This milestone was reached on schedule.

Fuqing Unit 5 Begins Nuclear Circuit Cleaning (NCC)

On the afternoon of Sunday, Feb. 24th, as its accumulator’s isolation valve was turned on, water was flushed into the pressure vessel from the primary pipe and Fuqing Unit 5 entered the stage of nuclear circuit cleaning (NCC). Completion of NCC ensures the structural integrity and tightness of the primary piping, paving the way for subsequent work like hydraulic testing.