French Foreign Trade Minister Nicole Bricq and Areva chairman Luc Oursel have surveyed the progress made in the construction work on the two EPR reactors in China.
Oursel remarked that heavy components have been installed; thus moving a step ahead in the construction of the first EPR reactor in China.
"Completed in just 38 months from the time the first concrete was poured, this shows that the work is being done in excellent conditions, and that it is benefiting from the experience that we have gained at other EPR sites as well as the quality of the partnership with CGNPC," Oursel added.
Taishan Nuclear Power (TNPJVC), a joint-venture company wherein EDF holds 30% stake and Chinese utility CGNPC has the remaining, is carrying out the construction activities.
The nuclear reactors are being built at the Taishan site in Guangdong province. TNPJVC, which owns the reactors, will be the future operator of the site.
Four steam generators, one pressurizer, and a reactor vessel has already been installed inside the 1st reactor building, the company said.
EDF chairman and CEO Henri Proglio commented, "The installation of the heavy components at Taishan reactor no. 1 demonstrates the extent to which 2012 was a year full of major progress for the EPR site in China."