Zhejiang province site will eventually have six reactor units.
China has completed cold hydraulic testing for the Sanmen-3 nuclear reactor unit under commissioning in the eastern province of Zhejiang, developer China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) said.
Cold testing verifies that welds, joints, pipes, and components in the primary circuit are able to withstand pressures higher than those during normal operation.
Sanmen-3 is the first CAP1000 nuclear plant under construction in China. Construction began in June 2022.
The CAP1000 is China’s version of the Westinghouse AP1000 Generation III+ pressurised water reactor design.
According to state-owned CNNC, the Sanmen nuclear power station will have six reactor units.
Two Westinghouse AP1000 PWRs, Sanmen-1 and -2, have been in commercial operation at the site since 2018. Construction of Sanmen-3 and -4 CAP1000 was approved in 2021.
Sanmen-5 and -6 are planned to be of the domestic Hualong One PWR design.
The International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) database of nuclear plants in China says the country has 58 plants in commercial operation and 33 under construction.
However, construction has begun of another three units that are not listed by the IAEA, bringing the number to 36. Of those, 12 CAP1000 units are under construction: two each at Haiyang, Lianjiang, Sanmen, Xudapu, Lufeng, and Guangxi Bailong.
