CGN HPR1000 Demonstration Units Ready for Construction

On November 16, 2015, the 17th China High-Tech Fair （CHTF） was inaugurated in Shenzhen. China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) participated in this CHTF bringing with HPR1000, Chinese Gen-Ⅲ nuclear power technology with independent intellectual property right, ACPR series SMRs, Firmsys and other major scientific research results. It was the sixth consecutive year that CGN debuted in CHTF.

During Twelfth Five-Year Plan period, it was known that by actively implementing innovation driven development strategy with a cumulative investment of nearly RMB 10 billion, and implementation of five major specific strategy programs of leading plan and peak plan of core field, CGN has made a series of significant R&D achievements in nuclear power industry which covers four fields, including nuclear power, nuclear fuel, new energy and nuclear technology, involving R&D of nuclear reactor type, development of nuclear fuel assemblies, key technologies in nuclear power engineering, operation and life extension, nuclear fuel mining and researches and application of advanced solar energy, wind power and nuclear technology.

HPR1000 is given great attention from visitors in CHTF 2015. It is a China’s Gen-Ⅲ nuclear power technology researched and developed by CGN and its Chinese partners with fully learning the advanced concepts of international Gen-Ⅲ nuclear power technology and adopting Gen-Ⅲ nuclear power reactor type co-designed within top world-level standard. Safety and other performance indicators have achieved international advanced level and HPR 1000 is provided with independent intellectual property rights. On October 21, under the witness of Chinese President Xi Jinping and British Prime Minister Cameron, CGN and EDF formally signed an investment agreement on UK’s new nuclear power projects. According to this agreement, Bradwell B would adopt HPR1000 technology. It is the first time that CGN would construct NPPs in an old honored nuclear power country, which marks a milestone of “going global” of China’s nuclear power and the recognition of HPR1000 by European developed countries. In another development, the construction of Unit 3 and 4 of Fangchenggang NPP, as the domestic demonstration units of HPR1000 and also the reference units of Bradwell B, are expected to be started in near future.

Recently, CGN has made significant progress in international projects. Soon after the project landing on the UK, CGN and Romanian Societatea Nationala Nuclearelectrica signed a lifetime framework agreement on Romanian nuclear power project on November 9. Then the two companies will set up a joint venture as a sole platform to carry out Romanian project.

In this CHTF, CGN exhibited ACPR series SMRs. As a development direction of nuclear reactor distributed energy in the future, onshore SMRs and offshore SMRs also gained attention in CHTF. It is introduced that ACPR series SMRs have adopted advanced safety design concepts and can be used in small scale electricity grid, co-generation of electricity, heat, comprehensive energy and offshore energy, the offshore SMRs adopt long refueling cycle scheme, which is more competitive than conventional offshore energies. In addition, they also can be also applied as ocean development comprehensive energy supply station to meet offshore comprehensive energy demands of heat, electricity, water and steam; and the onshore SMRs have achieved customization and can be used in small and medium scale power grid, industry heating and electricity supply, city heat supply and other distributed energy sources.

Nuclear safety class DCS and control rod driven system are respectively called the “central nervous” and the “heart” of NPPs. In 2014, China’s first set of independent nuclear safety class DCS product “FirmSys” passed German independent third-party authority certification. And by applying to Unit 5 and 6 of Yangjiang NPP, the manufacturing and qualification of the engineering prototype has been completed. In the aspect of gigawatt-class PWR control rod driven system, CGN overcame bottleneck technologies which restrict self-reliant, broke foreign monopolies and realized 100% self-reliant. The overall performance indicators of the technologies reached international advanced level and passed program acceptance by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

From the construction of Daya Bay NPP and over 30 years innovation development, CGN has grown into a well-known and competitive clean energy group in China and around the world integrated with nuclear energy, nuclear fuel, new energy, finance and comprehensive services. Up to now, CGN has become the largest nuclear power operator in China and the world’s largest nuclear power constructor. Up to now, with 14 units in operation in four major nuclear power bases with an installed capacity of 14.92 GW, of which the nuclear safety performance reaches world advanced level, and 12 units under construction with an installed capacity of 14.45 GW. In addition, the installed capacity of wind power, hydropower, solar power and other new energy is also over 10 GW. The environmental benefit of clean energy on-grid electricity is equivalent to afforestation of 210,000 hectares, corresponding to the whole area of Shenzhen.