Fuqing 3 starts supplying electricity to grid

Wednesday, 7 September 2016

The third unit of the Fuqing nuclear power plant in China's Fujian province has been connected to the grid. The CPR-1000 is scheduled to enter commercial operation later this year.

Operators in Fuqing 3's control room (Image: CNNC)

China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) announced the unit was connected to the grid at 8.35am today. It said this marks the formal transition of Fuqing 3 from the construction and commissioning phase into the power generation phase.

The unit will now undergo a load test run and other relevant testing before entering full-power demonstration operation. It is expected to enter commercial operation before the end of 2016.

The Fuqing plant will eventually house six Chinese-designed PWRs, the first four being 1087 MWe CPR-1000 pressurized water reactors. Unit 1 started up in July 2014, was connected to the grid the following month and entered commercial operation in November. Unit 2 achieved first criticality in July 2015 and entered commercial operation last October.

Ground was broken in June 2009 for Fuqing unit 3 and 4. Containment pressure tests were successfully completed at unit 3 last August. The loading of all 157 fuel assemblies into the reactor core of Fuqing 3 was completed on 4 April and it achieved first criticality on 3 July. Unit 4 is scheduled to start up in 2017.

China's State Council gave final approval for construction of Fuqing units 5 and 6 in mid-April 2015. First concrete was poured for the fifth unit in the following month, while that for unit 6 was poured in December. These will be demonstration indigenously-designed Hualong One reactors. Fuqing 5 and 6 are scheduled to be completed in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

The Fuqing nuclear power plant project is owned by CNNC subsidiary China Nuclear Power Company (51%); Huadian Fuxin Energy Company (39%); and Fujian Investment and Development Group (10%).

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News