First Hualong One dome takes shape

Assembly of the containment building dome for unit 5 of the Fuqing nuclear power plant has been completed. The unit - the first of two demonstration Hualong One units being built at the site in China's Fujian province - is expected to start up in 2019.

Assembly of the containment building dome for unit 5 of the Fuqing nuclear power plant has been completed. The unit - the first of two demonstration Hualong One units being built at the site in China's Fujian province - is expected to start up in 2019.

The assembled dome of Fuqing 5's containment building (Image: CNNC)

China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) announced today the main assembly work for the dome had been completed on 3 January.

The hemispherical structure, weighing about 305 tonnes and with a diameter of some 45 meters, will later be placed upon the walls of the unit's containment structure - a major component for protecting the reactor and preventing the release of radioactive materials into the environment in the event of a serious accident.

In November 2014, CNNC announced that the fifth and sixth units at Fuqing will use the domestically-developed Hualong One reactor design, marking its first deployment. The company had previously expected to use the ACP1000 design for those units, but plans were revised in line with a re-organisation of the Chinese nuclear industry. China's State Council gave final approval for construction of Fuqing units 5 and 6 in mid-April 2015.

The pouring of first concrete for Fuqing 5 began in May 2015, marking the official start of construction of the unit. The first steel lining module for the containment building of the unit was installed three months later. Construction of unit 6 began in December 2015. The units are scheduled to be completed in 2019 and 2020.

Construction of two Hualong One units is also under way at China General Nuclear's Fangchenggang plant in Guangxi province. Those units are also expected to start up in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News