China Nuclear News Roundup - January 2020

First Barrel of Concrete Poured for the Nuclear Island of Taipingling Unit 1

The NNSA conducted the pre-FCD field examination from the 17th to the 20th of December 2019 and issued approval for pouring the first barrel of concrete at the nuclear island of Taipingling Unit 1 on December 23rd. It was the second FCD of the year, following Zhangzhou Unit 1 in October. This unit is also the second new build of the integrated version of HPR1000, with the first being Zhangzhou Unit 1. The FCD further confirms that China’s self-developed Gen III reactor model is now in the phase of batch construction.

Schedule Delay Announced for Hongyanhe Units 5&6

CGN released a note in late December that Hongyanhe Units 5&6, two ACPR1000 units currently under construction, are now projected to begin commercial operation in the second half of 2021 and first half of 2022, respectively. At the moment, Hongyanhe Unit 5 is under commissioning and Unit 6 is in the equipment installation stage. The two units had their first barrels of concrete poured in March and July 2015, respectively and the adjusted schedule is about one year slower than the originally planned progression. According to the statement, this adjustment is needed “in order to ensure the stable and safe operation of the units once they begin to generate electricity, multiple technical changes and improvements that were carried out during the construction process.”

CNNC & CGN Release End-of-year Statistics on Annual Power Generation

From January to December 2019, CGN’s 24 operating nuclear power units generated 190.191 TWh of electricity, 14.08% up comparing to the previous year. 178.97 TWh of power was dispatched, showing a year-on-year growth of 13.96%. Up till January 2020, CGN’s nuclear fleet has a total installed capacity of 27.14 gigawatts and 5 more units underway to add another 5.78 gigawatts once they complete construction.

CNNC’s nuclear units generated 136.214 TWh of electricity during the same period of time. This total number is slightly low compared to the 140 billion kWh target set at the beginning of 2019, largely due to the 11-month repair of Sanmen Unit 2, which was brought offline after the detection of equipment flaws. Nevertheless, 2019 still saw a 15.64% YoY increase in power generation of CNNC’s fleet. The company’s plan for the new year is 150 TWh.