Contract for nuclear islands of Fangchenggang Hualong One units

A contract to install the nuclear islands of units 3 and 4 of the Fangchenggang nuclear power plant in China has been awarded to China Nuclear Industry 23 Construction Company Limited. The units are a demonstration project for China General Nuclear's Hualong One reactor design.

A contract to install the nuclear islands of units 3 and 4 of the Fangchenggang nuclear power plant in China has been awarded to China Nuclear Industry 23 Construction Company Limited (CNI23). The units are a demonstration project for China General Nuclear's (CGN's) Hualong One reactor design.

The signing of the contract (Image: CNECC)

A ceremony was held yesterday to mark the signing of the contract between CNI23 - a subsidiary of China Nuclear Engineering and Construction Corporation - and CGN subsidiary China Nuclear Power Engineering Company.

CNECC said CNI23 has already carried out much advanced technology and management research to ensure the quality of the Fangchenggang units 3 and 4 project.

Fangchenggang is located near Hongsha village in the Guangxi Autonomous Region in western China, about 45 kilometres from the border with Vietnam. A total of six large pressurized water reactors are planned to operate there. Units 1 and 2 are both CPR-1000s, units 3 and 4 will feature Hualong One reactors, and units 5 and 6 are to be AP1000s.

Construction of the first two units at the plant began in July and December 2010, respectively. Unit 1 was connected to the grid in October 2015 and entered commercial operation on 1 January. Unit 2 was connected to the grid in July and is scheduled to enter commercial operations by the end of this year.

First concrete was poured for the nuclear island of unit 3 of the Fangchenggang plant on 24 December 2015. Construction of unit 4 is set to begin by the end of 2016. The two units are expected to start up in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

The plant is 39% owned by Guangxi Investment Group and 61% owned by CGN.

In 2012 central planners in Beijing directed China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and CGN to 'rationalise' their reactor programs. This meant CNNC's ACP1000 and CGN's ACPR1000 were 'merged' into one standardised design - the Hualong One.

CNNC is building units 5 and 6 of its Fuqing plant in Fujian province as a demonstration Hualong One project. Both units should be in operation by 2020.

In March, Hualong International Nuclear Power Technology - a joint venture between CGN and CNNC to promote the Hualong One reactor design in export markets - was officially inaugurated.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News