16 Apr (NucNet): China’s government yesterday approved the construction of pilot nuclear power units using the ACP-1000 reactor technology, also known as Hualong One, a domestically-developed third generation reactor design, official news agency Xinhua said.
A source told NucNet that the China National Energy Administration had approved the Fangchenggang site in Guanxi province and Fuqing site in Fujian province as locations for the first ACP-1000 units.
In November 2014, China’s National Energy Board and the China National Nuclear Corporation said they had designated Fuqing-5 and -6 in Fujian for the first deployment of the ACP-1000. The Fuqing site has one Generation II CPR-1000 unit in commercial operation and three under construction.
A statement issued by China’s State Council confirmed approval of construction, but gave no details of when construction would start or when the reactor would enter commercial operation.
China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) is working in a 50:50 partnership with China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) on development of the ACP-1000. The design is based on CGN’s ACPR-1000, a more advanced version of CGN’s Generation II CPR-1000 and CNNC’s ACP-1000 designs.
The ACP-1000 is a 1,100 megawatt, three-loop pressurised water reactor. It has a combination of active and passive safety systems, a single stack layout, 177 nuclear fuel assemblies, a double containment structure, and comprehensive defence-in-depth design principles, CNNC said.
