Up to date knowledge from the China Nuclear Vitality Affiliation (CNEA) exhibits the nation has 55 nuclear reactors in operation, rating third globally behind the U.S. and France. The CNEA mentioned China at current has a world-leading 26 nuclear energy items underneath building, together with Unit 5 of the Ningde Nuclear Energy Plant in Fujian Province, the place the primary concrete was poured on July 28.
China Normal Nuclear (CGN) is constructing two new items at Ningde, a plant that at the moment is house to 4, 1,018-MW CPR-1000 reactors that entered business operation between April 2013 and July 2016. Models 5 and 6 at Ningde, which have been permitted by the Chinese language authorities on July 31, 2023, might be Hualong One reactors, every with greater than 1 GW of technology capability.
First concrete additionally was poured Sunday for Unit 1 of the Shidaowan nuclear plant in Shandong Province, which can function one other Hualong One reactor. The Shidaowan facility is being constructed by China Huaneng.
Tian Huiyu, basic supervisor of Fujian Ningde Nuclear Energy Co. Ltd., in an announcement mentioned, “The development of items 5 and 6 of the Ningde Nuclear Energy Venture Part II will additional enhance the proportion of unpolluted vitality in Fujian Province and inject stronger clear vitality help into the high-quality financial and social growth of Fujian Province.”
A press release from CGN mentioned, “The progress of the Ningde Nuclear Energy Plant’s second part could have a constructive influence on China’s vitality construction and environmental safety agenda. We use China’s third-generation nuclear know-how, recognized for its excessive security, cost-effectiveness and longevity, which can enhance our competitiveness within the worldwide market.”
Chasing the U.S. and France
Information from the Nuclear Vitality Institute exhibits 94 working reactors within the U.S., at 53 totally different energy vegetation positioned in 28 states. France has 56 working reactors at 18 totally different energy vegetation.
Two new items at Plant Vogtle in Georgia have been the primary new reactors constructed within the U.S. in many years. No utility-scale reactors are at the moment underneath building, though there are plans to restart the Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan that was closed in 2022.
NextEra Vitality is also taking a look at a attainable restart of the Duane Arnold plant in Iowa that was closed in 2020.
French officers earlier this 12 months mentioned that nation may construct as many as 14 new reactors over the following a number of years to assist the nation meet local weather targets. Officers have mentioned business operation of the long-delayed Unit 3 at Flamanville may very well be imminent; gasoline loading was accomplished in late Could.
China is quickly increasing its nuclear reactor fleet. The nation in each 2022 and 2023 permitted building of 10 new reactors, and officers have touted the Chinese language technique of standardized growth of nuclear energy vegetation, enabling sooner completion of tasks.
The Shidaowan web site is understood for being house to the Excessive Temperature Fuel-Cooled Reactor-Pebble-bed Module, or HTR-PM, demonstration challenge that has been on-line since December 2023. That challenge has two small reactors powering one 210-MW turbine. The challenge is owned by a consortium of China Huaneng, China Nuclear Engineering Corp. (a subsidiary of China Nationwide Nuclear Corp.), and Tsinghua College’s Institute of Nuclear and New Vitality Know-how.
China Huaneng in an announcement mentioned that building of Shidaowan Unit 1 “marks that Huaneng Shidaowan has develop into a nuclear energy base that makes use of each the most recent impartial third-generation nuclear energy know-how and fourth-generation superior nuclear energy know-how.” The corporate has mentioned its plan for Shidaowan contains 4, 1.2-GW Hualong One reactors, with the primary two anticipated on-line in 2029.
—Darrell Proctor is senior editor for POWER (@POWERmagazine).
