The company said on its website that construction of the demonstration unit – also referred to as the Linglong One design – is scheduled to begin by the end of this year.
In March, China’s Nuclear World reported that first concrete for the project would be poured in December. Construction is expected to take 65 months, with startup scheduled for May 2025.
CNNC said the Linglong One demonstration project will verify the design, manufacture, construction and operation of the technology. “It will also help the company gain experience of running small nuclear power stations and enable it to explore the future market for small reactors,” the company said.
CNNC said the ACP100, a 125MW pressurised water reactor unit, became in 2016 the first SMR to pass an International Atomic Energy Agency safety review. Its preliminary design was completed in 2014.
The ACP100, identified as a key project in China’s 12th Five-Year Plan, is a multi-purpose plant designed for electricity production, heating, steam production or seawater desalination.
According to CNNC it was developed from the larger ACP1000 PWR. The design, which has 57 fuel assemblies and integral steam generators, incorporates passive safety features and will be installed underground.
The demonstration ACP100 plant will be built on the northwest side of the existing Changjiang nuclear power station, China’s Ministry of Environment has said. The site is already home to two operating CNP600 PWRs, with two Hualong One units also planned.
