China Civilian Nuclear Industry, Technology, Exports and Supply Chain: News & Discussions

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Fuel loading underway at Tianwan 3
22 August 2017

Fuel loading has begun at unit 3 of the Tianwan nuclear power plant in China's Jiangsu province, Russian state nuclear company Rosatom has announced. The Russian-supplied VVER-1000 is scheduled to enter commercial operation next year.

Tianwan units 1 to 3 (Image: Rosatom)​

The first of 163 fuel assemblies was loaded into the core of the VVER-1000 reactor on 18 August. Rosatom said once all the assemblies have been loaded, start up and commissioning work will be carried out. The reactor will then be brought to the "minimum controllable power level", followed by the start of power generation.

Andrey Lebedev, vice-president for projects in South Asia for ASE Group, said the "physical start up of the unit has been started ahead of schedule". He noted that the unit is expected to be connected to the grid by the end of 2017. Commercial operation of Tianwan 3 is planned for 2018.

China National Nuclear Corporation's (CNNC's) Tianwan 3 and 4 are AES-91 VVER-1000 units designed by Gidropress and supplied by Rosatom.

AtomStroyExport is the main contractor, supplying the nuclear island. First concrete for unit 3 was poured in December 2012, while construction of unit 4 began in September 2013.

Two similar VVER-1000 reactors (units 1 and 2) began operating at the site in 2007.

The State Council gave its approval for Tianwan units 5 and 6 - both featuring Chinese-designed 1080 MWe ACPR1000 reactors - on 16 December 2015. First safety-related concrete was poured for unit 5 later that month and for unit 6 in September 2016. Unit 5 is expected to enter commercial operation in December 2020 and unit 6 in October 2021.

The Tianwan plant is owned and operated by Jiangsu Nuclear Power Corporation, a joint venture between CNNC (50%), China Power Investment Corporation (30%) and Jiangsu Guoxin Group (20%).


http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN-Fuel-loading-underway-at-Tianwan-3-2208174.html

 

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CNNC and Saudi Arabia sign cooperation deals on nuclear energy
By Zheng Xin | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2017-08-28 19:42

China National Nuclear Corp, one of the country's largest nuclear companies, signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Arabia last week to further explore and assess uranium and thorium resources in the country.

The two countries also vowed to further continuously cooperate on nuclear energy projects following discussions between the two sides to support Saudi Arabia's nuclear energy program.

Saudi Arabia has been trying to diversify its energy mix for years as oil resources are needed to generate revenue through exports.

China and Saudi Arabia in 2012 signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate on the civilian use of nuclear energy.

CNNC said it's one step closer to exporting its high-temperature gas cooled reactor projects to countries that include Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Its HTGR fuel assembly line entered mass production last month at China North Nuclear Fuel, which is headquartered in Baotou in northern China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

CNNC President Wang Shoujun said CNNC has already signed memorandums of understanding with Saudi Arabia and the UAE in HTGR project cooperation, signaling that decades of research on the reactor have paid off.

 

[JSCh]

High-enriched uranium returned from Ghana
30 August 2017

High-enriched uranium has been flown from Ghana back to China in the removal of all such material from the country. The Ghanaian research reactor has been converted to use low-enriched fuel instead.

The material came from the GHARR-1 Miniature Neutron Source Reactor at the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission's (GAEC's) National Research Centre Institute in Accra.

The HEU, within a TUK/145/C MNSR package, is loaded on a trailer during its journey (Image: IAEA - Sandor Miklos Tozser)

The fuel was enriched to 90% uranium-235, which means it could potentially have been diverted to a weapons program, although it only amounted to 1 kg. The conversion of the unit with the help of its Chinese designers and the removal of the material nevertheless eliminates this possibility. Similar reactors exist in Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan and Syria, as well as China.

Pictures release by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) show a large transport cask being loaded onto an aircraft in Ghana and unloaded in China. The operation was conducted by the GAEC and the China Institute of Atomic Energy with support from the IAEA and the US Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The US bodies have so far helped repatriate some 6275 kg of HEU from 33 territories.

GHARR-1 is the first such unit outside of China to be converted to LEU. "With this pioneer engagement, Ghana demonstrated the feasibility of the conversion of these reactors outside of China," said Kwame Aboh, project manager at GAEC. NNSA has said it is cooperating with Nigeria to complete a similar project there.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News

http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/RS-High-enriched-uranium-returned-from-Ghana-3008171.html

 

[JSCh]

Recent photo of Hualong one reactor pressure vessel being shipped to Pakistan Kanupp 2 nuclear plant.

 

[JSCh]

Hinkley project powers ahead
By LEI XIAOXUN/CECILY LIU | China Daily UK | Updated: 2017-09-01 18:10

Construction work at the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant is continuing around the clock for what is seen as a high-profile example of international clean energy cooperation among Britain, France and China.

More than 1,900 men and women are involved in the building project on the Bristol Channel.

The busy site is a sign that the UK is on track to secure its future energy security, despite the EDF announcement in July of potential risks of delay and budget overruns.

China General Nuclear Power Corp－or CGN－is investing 6 billion pounds ($7.74 billion) into Hinkley, which is one-third of the 18-billion-pound project.

The deal was signed between the Chinese and French partners in October 2015 during President Xi Jinping's state visit to the UK. It received formal approval by the British government led by Prime Minister Theresa May in September 2016.

Hinkley Point C's lead investor, the French utility company EDF, remains confident about the project's ability to deliver. It says CGN will bring valuable experiences to help Hinkley stick to time and budget.

Hinkley program can also learn from China's Taishan nuclear power station, which involves two reactors built by EDF and CGN using the same technology－the European Pressurized Reactor, said Richard Mayson, a senior director at EDF.

Developed by EDF, EPR technology attracted concerns when its implementation at Flamanville, in France, and Olkiluto, in Finland, was beset by delay and budget overrun.

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Construction on the Taishan power station in China's Guangdong province is expected to be completed in 2018, marking the world's first power station using the EPR and giving a stamp of confidence to this technology.

"Already a number of CGN people have joined us on the Hinkley project," said Richard Mayson, a senior director at EDF. "That cross-fertilization of ideas is invaluable."

Mayson said it has been some time since Europe built a nuclear power station.

"CGN has built a large number of stations in China," he said."That ability to build to time and scale is very important to make sure Hinkley is built in the most efficient way." Hinkley is the first new nuclear plant to be built in the UK since the 1990s.

It will supply 7 percent of electricity when it is completed in 2025 and will be a central part of the UK's efforts to replace and phase out aging power stations.

Overall capacity in the UK has fallen by 12 percent since 2012 as coal-fired power plants are gradually shut down to comply with the government's commitments to tackle climate change.

Construction workers and machines are working on 24-7 shifts at the Hinkley Point C site at the moment. [Photo by YIN JINCHENG / CHINA DAILY]

In addition to its significance as a pioneering project pointing to the UK's energy direction, Hinkley bears great significance for China's nuclear industry.

The role that CGN is playing in the Hinkley project "is not a hands-off investor", said Mayson. CGN's contribution also includes its technical and program implementation strength, he added.

EDF and CGN are also collaborating on the Bradwell B nuclear plant, a planned project in Essex in which CGN is the majority investor, and will build with Hua-long Pressurized Reactor 1000 (known as HPR1000)－China's indigenous third-generation technology.

"Our partnership with EDF is a win-win collaboration," said Zheng Dongshan, chief executive of General Nuclear International, the London-based international subsidiary of CGN. "We support them financially and technically at Hinkley, and they will help us to implement HPR1000 at Bradwell."

Tim Yeo, former chairman of the House of Commons energy and climate change committee, said the government's approval of Hinkley shows its strong commitment to nuclear energy and that it welcomes Chinese investment.

 

[JSCh]

Brazil and China enhance nuclear cooperation
04 September 2017

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) to further promote cooperation in nuclear energy has been signed between China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and Brazilian power company Eletrobras and its nuclear subsidiary Eletronuclear. The agreement covers the completion of Angra unit 3 and possible follow-up projects.

The signing of the MOU (Image: CNNC)​

The MOU was signed on 1 September by CNNC board chairman Wang Shoujun, Eletrobras superintendent of foreign operations, Pedro Luiz de Oliveira Jatobá, and Eletronuclear CEO Bruno Campos Barretto. It was signed in Beijing during a meeting of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Brazilian President Michel Temer.

Eletrobras said the MOU creates "the opportunity for a deepening of bilateral cooperation for peaceful uses of nuclear energy, highlighting the common interests in establishing a future partnership for completion of Angra 3".

CNNC said it will work with Eletrobras and Eletronuclear to promote the construction of Angra 3 and future nuclear power plant projects.

Eletronuclear noted this is the third MOU it has signed with CNNC. In 2015, it signed one with CNNC and Eletrobras aimed at nuclear cooperation. In December 2016, Eletronuclear signed a bilateral MOU with CNNC to guide cooperation in the resumption of construction of Angra 3.

Construction of Angra 3 originally started in 1984 on a PWR designed by German company KWU, but this faltered two years later. At that stage some 70% of the plant's equipment was said to have already been purchased and delivered to the site. A return to construction was approved in 2007, and an industrial agreement for the unit's completion was signed with Areva in December 2008.

Two Brazilian consortia were awarded contracts, one for electro-mechanical assembly associated with the reactor’s primary system, the other for secondary-side work. However, following a corruption probe in mid-2015, Eletrobras suspended both contracts.

In March 2017, the government announced it planned to sell Angra 3 by 2018. The National Energy Policy Council in June this year reviewed ways to restart construction, but the government expects that it will take about five years and $2.9 billion to complete the unit.


http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NP-Brazil-and-China-enhance-nuclear-cooperation-0409174.html

 

[JSCh]

Sanmen 2 completes hydrostatic testing
05 September 2017

The second AP1000 unit under construction at the Sanmen site in China's Zhejiang province has completed cold hydrostatic testing of its primary circuit. The tests are an important step in the commissioning of new units.

Sanmen units 1 and 2 (Image: SNPTC)​

Cold hydrostatic testing involves filling the reactor's primary circuit with water, which is circulated at high pressure by the reactor coolant pumps to verify that the welds, joints, pipes and components of the reactor coolant system and associated high-pressure systems meet regulatory standards. The coolant pumps will help to maintain the reactor's internal temperature at a safe level during operations.

State Nuclear Power Technology Company (SNPTC) announced yesterday that cold hydrostatic testing began at 0.59am on 2 September. The pressure within the circuit was gradually raised to a maximum of 21.6 MPa and held at that level for 10 minutes. At 10.15am, the pressure was reduced to 17.5 MPa while all the welds and mechanical connections were checked. The tests were completed at 2.00pm the same day.

Similar tests were completed at unit 1 of the Sanmen plant in May 2016, while those at unit 1 of the Haiyang plant in Shandong province were completed in July 2016.

Sanmen 1 is expected to be the first Westinghouse AP1000 to begin operating later this year, while Haiyang 1 is also expected to begin operating by the end of the year. Sanmen 2 and Haiyang 2 are expected to start up in 2018.

Four AP1000 reactors were also being built in the USA - two each at Vogtle and Summer. However, construction of the two Summer units was suspended last month.


http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN-Sanmen-2-completes-hydrostatic-testing-0509174.html

 

[JSCh]

CGN joins CCSEB in Hualong I, domestic equipment contributes over 85pct
Xinhua Finance in www.cnstock.com
2017-09-06 16:21

The No. 3 & 4 units of the Phase-II of Fangchenggang Nuclear Power Station in Guangxi are under construction. Compared with No. 1 & 2 units of the Phase-I project, No. 3 & 4 units adopt the third-generation technology of Hualong I with proprietary intellectual property rights. It is the first demonstration project of China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) as well as a reference to the Bradwell nuclear power program B of CGN in the U.K.

It is learnt that China Construction Second Engineering Bureau Ltd. (CCSEB) is mainly responsible for the construction of the demonstration program. CGN has joined hands with CCSEB many times.

During the past three decades, the nuclear power construction for commercial use has embarked an innovative development path from “bringing in” to “going out”, indicated Cheng Huimin, assistant general manager of China Construction Electric Power Construction Co., Ltd. China Construction overcame technical difficulties in the construction of nuclear power programs through R&Ds and made contributions to the nuclear power construction for commercial use in China.

CCSEB participate in nuclear power unit construction

At present, CCSEB is one of the only four companies that are qualified for the construction of containment lining for nuclear island as well as the only construction enterprise that independently undertakes civil engineering for nuclear island.

As of the end of June 2017, CCSEB participated in 9 nuclear power units under construction across the country, with an installed capacity of 10.98 million kilowatts, accounting for 49.42 percent of the total installed capacity of the 20 units under construction in the country; participate in 12 nuclear power units in operation across the country, with an installed capacity of 23.747million kilowatts, accounting for 41.71 percent of the total installed capacity of the 20 units in operation in the country. Its rich experience in the construction of nuclear power plants laid a good foundation for the Hualong I project.

Li Guangyuan, deputy general manager of China Construction Electric Power Construction Co., Ltd. and project manager of Fangchenggang Nuclear Power Station, said that the batch of management for the Fangchenggang Nuclear Power Station entered the construction site on May 6, 2016. There was no preparation period. It came to a peak period as soon as they entered the site. This never happened in previous nuclear power projects. Yet even if under such a difficult situation, after only three and a half months, the nuclear power plant was put into use in August 31, 2016

Improve domestic equipment contribution, enhance competitiveness

In addition to high requirements for civil engineering, what other advanced technologies are reflected in Hualong I nuclear power unit?

Yuan Changhong, assistant to the director of the CGN Culture Propaganda Center, said that the safety and performance indicators of Hualong I reached the international advanced level of three generations of nuclear power technology. Firstly, its safety performance is improved.

With double-layer containment, Hualong I is more solid. Dong Zhanfang, deputy chief designer of civil engineering of CGN Design Institute, said that the double-layer containment can withstand strikes of large large commercial aircraft and has a stronger resistance to external events.

Hualong I has hydrogen recombiner. Yuan said that the hydrogen recombiner can promptly disperse accumulated hydrogen as that there will no hydrogen explosion.

It is noteworthy that home-made equipment contributes 86.7 percent to Hualong I demonstration project. Almost all core technologies are domestic, and all nuclear grade pumps are home made.

The high degree of localization in Hualong I project has brought a cost advantage for “going out”. Yuan said that based on years of experiences in nuclear power plant construction and operation, to improve the rate of localization is an important aspect of enhancing cost advantage.

With this advantage, China's nuclear power technology has also received global attention. China has reached a cooperation intention with nearly countries around the globe, including Britain Argentina, and Brazil.

Yuan said that China's nuclear power technology’s “going out” can drive China's major manufacturing and construction enterprises together to “go out”.

Translated by Star Zhang, Coral Zhong

 

[JSCh]

Dome installed at sixth Hongyanhe unit
08 September 2017

The dome has been installed upon the containment building of unit 6 at the Hongyanhe nuclear power plant in China's Liaoning province. The milestone marks the end of major civil engineering works at the unit.

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The dome of Hongyanhe 6 is lowered into place (Image: SNPTC)​

The operation to install the containment dome - measuring 37 metres in diameter and 11m in height and weighing about 140 tonnes - took about one hour and was completed at 6.15am today, State Nuclear Power Technology Company (SNPTC) announced. The milestone in the unit's construction was completed seven days ahead of schedule.

SNPTC declared the unit has now entered the equipment installation phase of construction.

Hongyanhe unit 6 is the second of two 1080 MWe Chine General Nuclear (CGN) designed ACPR-1000 reactors that will form the second phase of the Hongyanhe plant.

Construction of Phase I of the plant - comprising four CPR-1000 pressurised water reactors - began in August 2009. Units 1 and 2 have been in commercial operation since June 2013 and May 2014, respectively, while unit 3 entered commercial operation in August 2015 and unit 4 in September 2016.

A ceremony to mark the breaking of ground for Phase II of the plant was held in July 2010. Following a suspension in new reactor approvals and licensing in response to the March 2011 accident at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi plant, CGN eventually received approval from the National Development and Reform Commission in March 2015 to build Hongyanhe units 5 and 6. This marked the first approval for new reactors in four years.

Construction of unit 5 began on 29 March 2015. Its dome was installed in April this year and the reactor is scheduled to start operations in November 2019. Unit 6 - construction of which started in July 2015 - is expected to start up in August 2020.

The Hongyanhe plant is owned and operated by Liaoning Hongyanhe Nuclear Power Co, a joint venture between CGN and State Power Investment Corporation, each holding a 45% stake, with the Dalian Municipal Construction Investment Co holding the remaining 10%.


http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN-Dome-installed-at-sixth-Hongyanhe-unit-0809174.html

 

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Prime Minister inaugurates Chashma 4
08 September 2017

The government of Pakistan is committed to adding 8800 MWe of nuclear energy to the country's national grid by 2030, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said today at the official inauguration of the country's fifth nuclear power reactor.

Prime Minister Abbasi offers "dua" (prayers) after inaugurating Chashma 4
(Image: Government of Pakistan)

Unit 4 at the Chashma nuclear power plant was connected to the grid on 29 June. The Chinese-supplied pressurised water reactor (PWR) is the second of two CNP-300 units to enter service at the site, in Punjab province, following unit 3 which entered commercial operation in December 2016. The Chashma site - also referred to as Chasnupp - is also home to two Chinese-supplied 300 MWe PWRs: unit 1, in commercial operation since 2000, and unit 2, in commercial operation since 2011.

Two 1161 MWe Chinese-supplied Hualong One units are also under construction at a coastal site in Karachi. These are near the 125 MWe Canadian-supplied Karachi 1 pressurised heavy water reactor, which has been in commercial operation since 1972. Construction of Karachi 2 and 3 started in August 2015 and May 2016, respectively, and the units are scheduled to enter service in 2021 and 2022.

In January 2014 the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) announced its intention to build five further 1100 MWe nuclear units to meet anticipated electricity demand, and have 8.9 GWe of nuclear capacity on line by 2030.

At the inauguration, in comments tweeted by the Government of Pakistan, Abbasi reiterated that the government "is committed to achieve [its] goal of adding 8800 MWe of nuclear energy to the national grid by 2030."

The inauguration ceremony was also attended by the country's Minister of the Interior Ashan Iqbal, Minister of State for Power Abid Sher Ali, and Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong, as well as Muhammad Naeem, chairman of PAEC.

 

[JSCh]

China National Nuclear Power plans to establish Hebei company
chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2017-09-12 13:31

A China National Nuclear Corp stand at an industrial expo in Beijing. DA WEI/CHINA DAILY

China National Nuclear Power Co Ltd (CNNP), a unit of one of the country's three largest State-owned nuclear operators, has announced plans to establish a Hebei-based company to promote the development of traveling-wave reactor, or TWR, technology.

The move will be carried out in partnership with Huadian Fuxin Energy Limited Company, Zhejiang Zheneng Electric Power Co Ltd, Shenhua Group and Jointo Energy Investment Co Ltd Hebei, the CNNP said in a statement with the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

The new company, located in Cangzhou city, Hebei province, has a registered capital of 1 billion yuan ($153.23 million). CNNP will own 35 percent of the company; Shenhua Group, 30 percent; Huadian Fuxin Energy, 15 percent; Zhejiang Zheneng Electric Power, 10 percent, and Jointo Energy Investment, 10 percent.

CNNP said, in the statement, the establishment of the new company will be in accordance with the strategy for the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (Jing-Jin-Ji) region, and added it would also help support the development of the advanced TWR technology.

In addition, CNNP Technology Investment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNNP, also plans to establish CNNP TWR Technology Investment (Tianjin) Co Ltd together with the four investors, sporting the same investment proportion. The new company, located in Tianjin, has a registered capital of 750 million yuan.

TWR, a new nuclear design using fourth-generation technology, could reduce the need for the enrichment and reprocessing of uranium. CNNP stated the establishment of the TWR demonstration project will be in accordance with, and respond to, the national energy plan arrangement.

Bellevue, Washington-based Terra Power, co-founded by Bill Gates in 2006, is working closely with China National Nuclear Corp to conduct research into the use of the new technology.

 

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Steam generator installation underway at Karachi 2
13 September 2017

The first of three steam generators has been installed at Karachi unit 2. The unit is the first of two Chinese-designed Hualong One nuclear power reactors being constructed at the site in Pakistan.

The first steam generator is lowered into place at Karachi 2 (Image: CNECC)​

The operation to raise the steam generator - some 21 meters in length and weighing about 365 tonnes - over the reactor building and lower it into place began at 9.16am on 10 September. The task was completed later that day at 4.58pm, plant constructor China Nuclear Engineering and Construction Corporation (CNEC) announced yesterday.

China National Nuclear Corporation noted the main reactor equipment is being installed prior to the dome of the containment building being put in place. This approach, it said, can significantly reduce construction time, compared with the traditional method of installing equipment through a hatch in the containment.

In 2013, ground was broken for the first of the two Chinese-designed ACP1000 units at Karachi, sometimes known as K2 and K3, but this project stalled. A ceremony in August 2015 relaunched construction, which is now based on China's successor to the ACP1000, the Hualong One.

Construction began on unit 2 in 2015 and unit 3 in 2016, with commercial operation planned for 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Pakistan's Karachi Coastal station is the first export of Hualong One units. The Hualong One design is also being promoted for use at the Bradwell site in the UK.


http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN-Steam-generator-installation-underway-at-Karachi-2-1309176.html

 

[JSCh]

E. China nuclear power reactor begins commercial operations
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-17 21:25:29|Editor: Xiang Bo



FUZHOU, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- A fourth unit of the Fuqing branch of China National Nuclear Corp. (CNNC) began commercial operations on Sunday in east China's Fujian Province.

The China-designed No. 4 unit brings the total installed capacity of the project to 4.35 million kw. The first unit was put into use in 2014.

The nuclear power units in Fuqing have generated 42 billion kwh of electricity, equivalent to a cut in coal consumption of nearly 17 million tonnes and a drop in emissions of 55 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.

The government has approved the CNNC Fuqing branch to build six nuclear power units. The No. 5 and 6 units will be a pilot project featuring Hualong One technology, a domestically developed third-generation reactor design.

In May, the hemispherical dome, weighing 340 tonnes and measuring 46.8 meters in diameter, was installed by crane on the No. 5 unit, marking the completion of construction work on the pilot project and the beginning of the assembly stage.

Currently, CNNC has 17 operating nuclear power units. China has 36 operational nuclear reactors and is building 20 more.

By 2020, China aims to have 58 million kw of nuclear power capacity in operation.

On Sept. 1, China's legislature passed a Nuclear Safety Law, which reflects the country's rational, coordinated and balanced nuclear safety outlook, as well as its commitment to fulfilling obligations under international treaties.

 

[cirr]

UN atomic chief praises China's CAP1400 nuclear reactor

2017-09-19 08:48 XinhuaEditor: Gu Liping

A CAP1400 project (File photo/CRI Online)

The head of the UN nuclear watchdog on Monday praised China's CAP1400 nuclear reactors, saying the conception of these reactors is "very important for the future of nuclear energy".

CAP1400 is China's self-developed and updated version of third-generation nuclear technology.

Yukiya Amano, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), made the remark after visiting Chinese information stand over nuclear energy development at a nuclear energy exhibition during IAEA's annual General Conference in Vienna.

After Japan's Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011, the center of expansion of use of nuclear power is shifting to the East, with China and India being the centers of the expansion, he said.

China and IAEA enjoy comprehensive cooperation in nuclear energy, as well as nuclear safety, Amano said.

He recalled his visit to China's national center of nuclear security in Beijing in April, saying that "that is very impressive facility and we are very grateful you made the facility available for us", he said.

China had 35 nuclear reactors in commercial operation as of the end of 2016, according to the China Nuclear Energy Association.

Total installed nuclear power capacity in the country jumped 23.8 percent year on year to 33.64 million KW at the end of 2016, and China plans to increase that figure to 58 million KW by 2020, official data show.

http://www.ecns.cn/2017/09-19/274097.shtml

 

[JSCh]

China plans further high temperature reactor innovation
19 September 2017

China is moving rapidly towards using nuclear power as an industrial heat source and as a direct replacement for coal, Yulong Wu, CEO of Chinergy, told a side event at the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA's) General Conference today.

Five years into the HTR-PM program, technical tests of most innovative components and materials are complete, and on-site the reactor vessel and some non-fuel graphite spheres are loaded. The design sees two pebble-bed reactors cooled by helium produce 250 MWt MWt each and drive one steam turbine to produce 210 MWe net. It can be configured for varying ratios of electricity and heat.

Applications for HTR-PM include direct replacement of coal-fired power plants, while its heat could be used for desalination of seawater for human consumption, production of hydrogen, or a wide range of other high temperature heat applications in industry.

Decarbonising heating and cooling

At the construction site in Shidaowan, in Shandong province, the steam generators and reactor vessel are in final installation, said Wu. Outstanding work includes final testing of the steam generator which transfers heat from helium coolant to a water/steam loop. Wu said these should be complete by next April.

Opening the session, Mikhail Chudakov, IAEA deputy director general for nuclear energy, said: "The success of this project will establish a milestone for the nuclear industry. It will pave the way for others."

Beyond HTR-PM, China proposes a scaled-up version called HTR-PM600, which sees one large turbine rated at 650 MWe driven by some six HTR-PM reactor units.

Feasibility studies on HTR-PM600 deployment are underway for Sanmen, Zhejiang province, Ruijin, Jiangxi province, Xiapu and Wan'an, in Fujian province, and Bai'an, Guangdong province.

The reactor concept is a focus for cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia, which would like to use nuclear energy for electricity and production of drinking water through desalination. The countries signed a cooperation agreement in March under which China Nuclear Energy Engineering Group (CNEC) and the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KA-CARE) are to consider the development of system solutions for the investment and construction of high temperature reactors. They will also examine cooperation in intellectual property and the development of an industrial supply chain in Saudi Arabia. The feasibility study, it said, will also support the Saudi government in its decisions related to a potential high temperature reactor project.

CNEC said that since the signing of that MOU, the two countries have been looking at site selection for the project, building a regulatory system, and training personnel, among other things.


http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/N...h-temperature-reactor-innovation-1909171.html