Ling Ao unit 4, the second unit of Ling Ao Phase II nuclear power plant, has entered commercial operation. This makes the Daya Bay/Ling Ao complex the largest nuclear power plant in the Guangdong province, with more than 50% of China’s total units in operation. With these two additional 1080 MWe units, Guangdong province becomes one of the handful of regions in the world with nuclear capacity totalling more than 6000 MWe in operation.
Like its sister unit Ling Ao unit 3, unit 4 also started up earlier than scheduled.
Among the 4 units in the Ling Ao complex, unit 4 was built with the highest localisation rate. The main conventional island components were designed by Alstom and supplied in partnership with Dongfang Electric Corp. Alstom has a large presence in China through more than 30 entities with around 10,000 employees. The key components included the GIGATOP 4 pole turbogenerator, the moisture separator reheater (MSR), the condenser and the low pressure (LP) heater. The list also includes Alstom’s Arabelle half-speed steam turbine, already applied at several other nuclear projects in China – Hongyanhe, Ningde, Fuqing and Fangjiashan, as well as at Taishan, China’s first EPR project.
