First Fangchenggang unit connected to grid

26 October 2015

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Unit 1 of the Fangchenggang nuclear power plant in China's Guangxi province was connected to the electricity grid yesterday. The unit is expected to start up by the end of this year.

Workers celebrate as Fangchenggang 1 is grid connected (Image: CGN)

The CPR-1000 pressurized water reactor (PWR) was connected to the grid at 5.15pm on 25 October, China General Nuclear (CGN) announced.

The company said a series of tests would now be conducted at Fangchenggang 1, including a load test run, after which the reactor will enter commercial operation once it has successfully completed a test run lasting 168 hours.

Construction of the first two units at the Fangchenggang plant began in July 2010. The reactor pressure vessel of unit 1 was put in place in August 2013, while that for unit 2 followed in September 2014. The loading of 157 fuel assemblies into the core of unit 1 was completed on 6 September and it achieved first criticality on 13 October. Units 1 and 2 are scheduled to begin operation this year and next year, respectively.

A total of six reactors are planned to operate there. Units 1 and 2 are both CPR-1000s, units 3 and 4 are planned to be based on Hualong One reactors, and units 5 and 6 are to be AP1000s. All of these are models of large PWRs.

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

China National Nuclear Corporation has already started construction of unit 5 of its Fuqing nuclear power plant in Fujian province based on its version of the Hualong One design. CGN said its plans to start construction of Fangchenggang units 3 and 4 - for which its own version of the reactor design has already been approved - later this year.

Fangchenggang 3 and 4 will be the reference plant for the proposed Bradwell B plant in the UK. CGN agreed last week to form a joint venture company with EDF Energy to seek regulatory approval for a UK version of the Hualong One design. CGN is expected to take a 66.5% share and EDF 33.5%. The two companies agreed to bring development of the Bradwell B project to the stage of a final investment decision.

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

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