Qinshan reactor moves to phase two

WORKERS yesterday hoisted a 170-ton dome into place over the underground workshop that will house a third reactor at the second phase of the Qinshan nuclear power complex, the first commercial nuclear power facility in China.

That step cleared the way for installation of a 650,000 kilowatt pressurized water reactor at the nuclear complex, which is in Haiyan, on the northern coast of Hangzhou Bay, Zhejiang Province, not far from Shanghai.

The Qinshan complex has three phases, each featuring different components of the reactor, some of which were from domestic suppliers and some from foreign manufacturers.

Construction of another underground workshop for a fourth generating unit is also under way, according to Yang Lanhe, General Manager of Nuclear Power Qinshan Joint Venture Co Ltd, investor of the second phase of the Qinshan complex.

The first phase of the Qinshan facility was also the first nuclear power plant on the mainland built independently by domestic engineers. Construction on the facility began in 1985. The first phase featured a 300,000 kilowatt prototype reactor with a lifespan of 30 years, which went online in 1991.

The first phase of the plant, which suspended power generation for a fuel change starting on October 28, is to resume operation in January. The complex will see the addition of two more pressurized reactors, each of which is to have an installed capacity of one million kilowatts.

The first phase has so far generated 9.6 billion yuan (US$1.28 billion) in revenue and paid 1.8 billion yuan in tax.