China has installed the first segment of the inner steel containment for the Lufeng-1 nuclear power plant in the southern province of Guangdong, China Nuclear Industry 22nd Construction Co. Ltd (CNI22) said in a statement.
CNI22, which is responsible for the civil construction of the Lufeng-1 plant, said workers have lifted into place the bottom tier of the steel containment, weighing more than 800 tonnes.
At a nuclear reactor, the inner containment is a critical safety component, designed to prevent radioactive leakage into the environment in the event of an emergency.
For Lufeng-1, the inner containment will consist of two dome-shaped segments for the bottom and top sections and three steel rings to make the main cylindrical shell of the structure.
Lufeng-1 will be a Generation III, 1,161-MW CAP1000 pressurised water reactor (PWR), China’s indigenous version of US-based Westinghouse’s AP1000 design.
Construction began in February 2025 with pouring first concrete for the nuclear island foundation slab.
Construction of two CAP1000 PWR units, Lufeng-1 and -2, was approved in August 2024, according to earlier reports.
Six reactor units will be deployed at the Lufeng nuclear station – four CAP1000 PWRs and two domestic Hualong One units, also known as HPR1000s.
