16 domestic Hualong One reactors are being built at eight sites
Hot functional testing has been completed at t China’s Taipingling-1 nuclear power unit under construction in the southern province of Guangdong, the China Nuclear Energy Association (CNEA) said.
Hot testing usually takes place over several weeks and consists of multiple tests performed on major systems to check their performance under normal operational conditions, without any nuclear fuel assemblies in the reactor.
Taipingling-1 is a domestically developed HPR1000, or Hualong One, pressurised water reactor unit. Construction began for two units at the site, Taipingling-1 and -2, in December 2019 and October 2020.
CNEA said hot testing was completed at 10:00 local time on 15 September. The reactor unit will now be ready for subsequent commissioning steps including fuel loading and initial reactor startup.
China General Nuclear (CGN) has previously said there are plans in place for six Hualong One PWR units at the Taipingling site.
China has 16 Hualong One units under construction domestically at eight sites – one unit each at Ningde, Shidaowan and Fangchenggang; two units each at Changjiang, Lufeng, Taipingling, Sanaocun and Jinqimen; and three units at Zhangzhou.
China has 56 commercial reactors in operation, the same number as France and second only to the US, which has 94.
The country has 30 commercial nuclear power units under construction.
The International Atomic Energy Agency’s reactor database says the number is 28, but does not include the Jinqimen site, where China National Nuclear Corporation said in February that construction of two units had begun.
