Reactor vessel installed at Ningde 3

Wednesday, 29 May 2013

The reactor pressure vessel (RPV) has been lowered into place at unit 3 of the Ningde nuclear power plant, under construction in China's Fujian province. The unit is set to start operating next year.

The RPV is lowered into place within Ningde 3's containment building (Image: CNECC)

Plant builder China Nuclear Engineering and Construction Corporation (CNECC) announced that the 262-tonne reactor pressure vessel was successfully installed on 23 May. It follows the installation of the pressurizer, steam generators and the main pump equipment.

Ningde 3 is one of four CPR-1000 pressurized water reactors (PWRs) being built on the site. Construction of units 1 and 2 started in 2008 and units 3 and 4 started in 2010. The CPR-1000 is a standardized Chinese design developed from the two Areva PWRs imported for the Daya Bay plant in Guangdong province, starting up in 1994. Those units were built to the French three-loop standard, outputting 944 MWe. The CPR-1000 builds on that to produce 1080 MWe.

Ningde unit 1 started commercial operation in April this year. All four units should be in operation before the end of 2015. Two further CPR-1000 units are planned at Ningde.

The plant is 46% owned by China Guangdong Nuclear Power Company and 44% by China Datang Corporation. The remaining 10% is held by Fujian Provincial Energy Group.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News