Ningde 4 the latest Chinese reactor project

Ningde 4 the latest Chinese reactor project

04 October 2010

Main construction work began on the Ningde 4 nuclear power reactor last week, while milestones were reached at two other reactors under construction.

Work on the nuclear island at Nindge 4 officially began on 29 September at a ceremony attended by project partners China Guangdong Nuclear Power Co. and Datang International. The 1080 MWe CPR-1000 reactor is being constructed by China Guangdong Nuclear Power Engineering Corporation and CNI Huaxing Construction. About 85% of the reactor's parts should come from Chinese suppliers, up from 75% for units 1 and 2. The steam turbines and generator set is coming from Dongfang Electric and will use Alstom's Arabelle half-speed technology. The French firm was recently subcontracted by Dongfang for this.

The first phase of development at Ningde nuclear power plant is now fully underway, with four reactors at various stages of construction. Unit 1 is set to begin operation at the end of 2012, construction having begun in February 2008. The cost of the units is set at a grand total of only CNY 52 billion ($7.6 billion), although at least two more CPR-1000s are planned in a second phase of building.

Some 24 reactors are now under construction in China.
 

Easy does it: Heavy lifting at Haiyang (Image: SNPTC)

 
Meanwhile, another CPR-1000 project at Fangjiashan in Zhejiang province has reached a milestone. The dome of unit 1's reactor building was lifted into place on 28 September, only 21 months after construction started.

And on the AP1000 project at Haiyang 1, Shandong province, State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation has celebrated the lift and emplacement of the central 'CA01' module only around one year after the official start of construction. The module will contain contain main components including the reactor pressure vessel and two steam generators within the reactor building. The process to move the 841-tonne module took six hours and required the use of a very large twin-boom crawler crane, itself weighing 2000 tonnes not including counterweights.