Commercial operation for Yangjiang 1

Thursday, 27 March 2014

Unit 1 of the Yangjiang plant in China's Guangdong province has entered commercial operation, becoming China's 20th operating nuclear power reactor.

Yangjiang 1 is now in commercial operation, while the adjacent unit 2 will soon start pre-operational tests (Image: CGN)

Yangjiang 1 - the first of six units under construction at the site in China's Guangdong province - began a full-power demonstration phase on 18 March. China General Nuclear (CGN) announced that this trial run was successfully completed on 25 March at which point it formally started commercial operation.

Yangjiang 1 represents CGN's ninth operating unit and brings the company's installed generating capacity to 9410 MWe.

Work on the first reactor at Yangjiang began in December 2008. It achieved first criticality on 23 December 2013 and was connected to the grid on 31 December. The equipment localization rate at the unit reached 83%, according to CGN.

The first four Yangjiang units are 1080 MWe CPR-1000 pressurized water reactors, with units 5 and 6 being ACPR-1000. With unit 1 now in operation, unit 2 is currently preparing to conduct hot tests, aimed at simulating the temperatures and pressures which the reactor's systems will be subjected to during normal operation. This phase ensures coolant circuits and nuclear safety systems are functioning properly before fuel is loaded. Equipment installation is underway at unit 3 while civil construction works continue at units 4, 5 and 6.

All six reactors should be in operation by 2018, producing a grand total of around 6100 MWe.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News