First Hualong One unit at Fuqing takes shape

The dome has been installed on the containment building of unit 5 at the Fuqing nuclear power plant. 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 dome has been installed on the containment building of unit 5 at the Fuqing nuclear power plant. 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 dome is moved into position atop the containment building (Image: CNNC)

The steel dome - measuring almost 47 meters in diameter and weighing about 340 tonnes - was placed upon the top of the containment building walls at 5.58pm today, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) announced. This major milestone, it said, was reached 15 days ahead of schedule.

The hemispherical structure is 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 pressurised water reactor (PWR) 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. Construction of unit 6 began in December 2015. CNNC announced in early January that it had completed assembling the containment dome for unit 5, which comprises 153 prefabricated components. Fuqing 5 and 6 are scheduled to be completed in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

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