The first safety-related concrete has been poured for the nuclear island of unit 5 at the new Lufeng nuclear power plant, China General Nuclear (CGN) has announced. It marks the official start of construction of the first of two HPR1000 (Hualong One) pressurised water reactors planned at the site in China’s Guangdong province, where the construction of four CAP1000s is also planned.
In an 8 September statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, CGN said the “first concrete of the main plant of the nuclear reactor” had been poured earlier that day, marking “the start of the civil construction phase”.
The construction of Hualong One reactors as units 5 and 6 at the Lufeng plant – along with CAP1000 reactors at China National Nuclear Corporation’s Sanmen units 3 and 4 and State Power Investment Corporation’s Haiyang 3 and 4 – was approved by the State Council in April this year. The CAP1000 design is the Chinese version of the AP1000. Construction of Sanmen 3 began in June, with first concrete for Haiyang 3 being poured in July.
The proposed construction of four CAP1000 reactors (units 1-4) at the Lufeng site has already been approved by the National Development and Reform Commission, but has yet to receive State Council approval. However, the State Council has now approved the construction of units 5 and 6 of the Lufeng plant, which China General Nuclear in a 21 April statement confirmed would be 1200 MWe Hualong One reactors.
“After the commencement of construction of Lufeng unit 5, there are seven nuclear power generating units under construction managed by the company (including four units under construction managed by the company as entrusted by the controlling shareholders of the company), with a total installed capacity of 8380 MWe,” CGN noted.
Source: World Nuclear News