Nuclear News Weekly Roundup – 01/08 - 01/12

Xi and Macron Attend the Nameplate Unveiling Ceremony for Taishan Unit 1, the World’s First EPR Unit

On the afternoon of January 9th, 2018, Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron unveiled the nameplate of Taishan Unit 1, as the world’s first EPR (European Pressurized Reactor), at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Taishan Unit 1 began construction in 2009 and Unit 2 poured its “first concrete” in 2010. They were, at the time, the third and fourth EPR units to begin construction in the world. Taishan NPP is constructed and operated by Taishan Nuclear Power Joint Venture Company Limited (TNPC), a joint venture owned by CGN, EDF, and Guangdong Yudean Group. It is the largest Sino-French energy cooperation project.

All Three Steam Generators in Place at Fuqing HPR1000 Unit

On January 7th, the third steam generator of Fuqing Unit 5 was successfully topped off. With the completion of the installation, all three HPR1000 demonstration project’s steam generators are now in place. The third steam generator was introduced onto the NI’s 16.5 m platform on December 28th, 2017, and was prepared for installation during the ten days following. The installation began at 8:00 am, January 7th, 2018. The steam generator was then turned and placed upright, had its clasp buckles removed, accessories installed, and was finally topped off on the vertical stands.

Fangchenggang Unit 3’s Personnel Airlock Shipped to Site

The first personnel airlock module of CGN’s HRP1000 demonstration project was shipped from Dalian Baoyuan Nuclear Equipment Co., Ltd. on January 5th. It lays a solid foundation for subsequent installation of the containment dome. The personnel airlock will be placed on the platform, which is elevated +1.20m, inside the containment building. It allows passage of personnel and small equipment without breaking the seal of the containment building during plant operation or hot shutdown.

Qinshan NPP’s First Outage in 2018 Completed

Fangjiashan Unit 2 successfully resumed grid connection at 2:18 pm on January 4th, marking the completion of its third refueling outage. The outage, which began in 2017, was Qinshan’s seventh outage, and the first of this year. The outage lasted for 33.9 days after the unit was taken off-line from the eastern China power grid on December 1st, 2017, and was finished 4.1 days ahead of the original schedule.