Ceremony marking to the start of construction of unit 1 at China’s Xudabao NPP in Liaoning Province, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) announced. The unit will have a 1,290 MWe CAP1000 reactor, China’s adaptation of the Westinghouse AP-1000. The unit is expected to enter commercial operation in 2028 followed by unit 2 a year later. Construction of units 3&4 with Rosatom-supplied VVER-1200 reactors is already underway. Unit 3 started construction in July 2021 and unit 4 in May 2022. The plant will have six units in total, each with a capacity of over 1,000 MWe, with an investment outlay of over CNY100bn ($13.8bn).
The Xudabao project was originally expected to comprise six CAP1000 reactors, with units 1 and 2 in the first phase.
However, with a change in plan, construction of two VVER-1200 reactors was designated for Xudabao 3&4. These units are expected to begin operation in 2027 and 2028. Once all six units are completed, the plant will provide more than 54 TWh of electricity annually, saving about 19.2m tonnes of coal. It will avoid 56.7m tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year.
The Xudabao plant is owned by Liaoning Nuclear Power Company Ltd, in which CNNC holds 70% with Datang International Power Generation Co holding 20% and State Development & Investment Corporation owning 10%. The general contractor is China Nuclear Power Engineering Company Ltd, a subsidiary of CNNC.
Image: Construction work at Xudabao 1 (courtesy of CNNC)
