China Nuclear News Weekly Roundup - 08/05 -08/09

Taishan Unit 2 Projected to Begin Commercial Operation by End of This Year

Taishan Unit 2 is projected to begin commercial operation in the second half of this year, said Huang Xiaoping, spokesperson of Taishan Nuclear Power JV Company, in a press conference on August 7th. Globally, Taishan Unit 2 is the forth EPR unit to have begun construction, following Taishan Unit 1, and will become the world’s second operational nuclear power reactor of its kind if construction continues as currently scheduled. It was connected to the external transmission grid on June 23rd.

Russian-made VVER Fuel Fabrication Equipment Delivered to Sichuan Province

TVEL JSC, a Rosatom subsidiary engaged in the manufacture of nuclear fuel devices, has supplied a batch of VVER fuel fabrication equipment to CNNC’s Yibin fuel production plant in Sichuan Province. The equipment will be used to modernize the shop-floor for local production of the Russian-designed fuel assemblies to be used in local VVER-1000 reactors, four units of which are operational at Tianwan NPP. Delivery of the equipment is “the first time in history, [TVEL JSC] helped to commence fabrication of Russian design nuclear fuel abroad and [the company] still provide[s] technological support of this facility at the most advanced level,” commented Oleg Grigoriyev, Senior Vice President for Commerce and International Business at TVEL JSC.

Tianwan Unit 5 Completes First RCP Motor’s Unloaded Trail Run

By 6:09 PM of August 3rd, Tianwan Unit 5’s RCP motor had steadily operated for four hours, with all parameters meeting design requirements. The level of performance achieved means a success of the unloaded trail run. The RCP motor was installed into the containment building on July 15th and it took 20 days for field technicians and engineers to complete the trail run, paving a solid foundation for subsequent work.