Rosatom said that it has started loading nuclear fuel at the fourth unit of the Tianwan nuclear power plant located in Lianyungang in the Chinese province of Jiangsu.
Image: Unit 3 of the Tianwan nuclear power plant in China. Photo courtesy of China National Nuclear Corporation.
The fourth unit of the Chinese nuclear power plant, which will feature Russian VVER-1000 design, is being developed as part of the stage 2 Tianwan nuclear construction project. Rosatom’s engineering division ASE Group has been entrusted with the project.
In May, Rosatom reported that it had completed hot tests for unit four to prove safe and efficient operability of its equipment and process systems before making it ready for nuclear fuel loading.
The Russian state-owned nuclear energy company said that a total of 163 fuel assemblies (FA) are to be loaded into the VVER-1000 reactor.
After the fuel loading is completed and the starting up and adjustment works are also done with, the fourth unit of the Tianwan nuclear power plant will be placed into minimum controllable power level (MCL). Following this, ASE will take up the power start-up work of the nuclear power unit.
ASE EC projects in China director Alexey Bannik said: “Today a significant milestone in the construction of Unit 4 of Tianwan NPP was achieved. Fuel loading is the commencement of the unit’s first criticality procedures. Unit 4 will then enter the start-up stage to be connected to the power grid of China.
“We are planning to complete all the main stages by the end of the year, in accordance with the schedule”.
The first phase of the Tianwan nuclear power plant built on the coast of the Yellow Sea features units 1 and 2, were commissioned in 2007. The two units produce more than 15 billion kW/hour of power.
Earlier this year, Rosatom said that it had completed power start-up of third power unit of the nuclear power plant following which its commercial operation is expected to begin this year.
The VVER-1000 reactors for units 3 and 4 of the Tianwan nuclear power project have a combined cost of around $3.3bn.