Nuclear News Weekly Roundup – 01/29 - 02/02

Tianwan Unit 3 is now Operating at Full-power

On January 30th, 2018 Tianwan Unit 3 had its power output increased to 100%, thereby achieving full-power operation. Tianwan 3 was connected to the grid on December 30th, 2017, and was last year’s first and only grid connection achieved by an under-construction NPP in China.

Hinkley Point C Project Progressing Well

The Hinkley Point C project, China’s largest energy investment focus in Europe, has been steadily progressing forward. Since the signing of the contract project between EDF, CGN, and the British government, fifteen Chinese companies have already passed the project qualification inspection, 7 of which are sub-contractors. The project itself is progressing well, and of note, CGN has invested GBP 1.8 million to date. The project site has an area the size of 245 soccer pitches, and is currently the largest construction site in Europe. Meanwhile, the Sizewell C and the Bradwell B projects are in the early preparation stage with geological studies being carried out at the Bradwell B site. In addition, the Generic Design Assessment (GDA) process that was initiated for the HPR1000 design in January 2017 is now in its second phase. It is expected that the HPR1000 will enter phase III of the GDA process at the end of this year.

The World’s First HPR1000 RPV Installed at Fuqing Unit 5

Fuqing Unit 5’s RPV was successfully installed on January 28th. This component is the first RPV that China maintains proprietary intellectual rights over. The successful installation paves a clear road for subsequent installation work.

Sanmen Unit 2 Finished Hot Testing

On January 31st, the AP1000 at Sanmen Unit 2 finished hot testing and entered the preparation phase prior to fuel-loading. The hot testing period lasted for 77 days and included various evaluations such as a reactor coolant system dynamics and vibration effects assessment, an RCP hot performance assessment, a passive automatic depressurization system reliability assessment, and others. The effectiveness of Sanmen Unit 2’s primary systems, safety systems, and auxiliary systems was fully verified during the hot testing period.