Assembly of Taipingling 3 containment vessel begins

The HPR1000 (Hualong One) reactor design features a double-layered containment structure. The main function of the containment building is to ensure the integrity and leak tightness of the reactor building, and it plays a key role in the containment of radioactive substances.

The 36 steel sub-modules of the bottom head module were prefabricated off-site, transported to the construction site and welded together. The completed module - measuring about 43 metres in diameter, 6 metres in height and weighing more than 130 tonnes - was hoisted into place using a 2,000-tonne crawler crane.

China General Nuclear (CGN) said installation of the first containment module at Taipingling unit 3 "marks the steady advancement of the modular construction technology of nuclear island civil engineering in the Taipingling Nuclear Power Project, and lays a solid foundation for the high-quality construction of subsequent nuclear island civil engineering projects".

The Taipingling plant in Guangdong province will eventually have six Hualong One reactors. The construction of the first and second units began in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Unit 1 is scheduled to start up later this year, with unit 2 following in 2026.

Construction of the second phase of the plant - units 3 and 4 - was approved by China's State Council on 29 December 2023. The first safety-related concrete was poured for the reactor building of Taipingling unit 3 last month.