The first of four main pumps has been installed at the ACP100 small modular reactor (SMR) demonstration project at the Changjiang NPP in Hainan Province. The multi-purpose 125 MWe SMR (also known as Linglong One) is a pressurised water reactor designed for electricity generation, urban heating, urban cooling, industrial steam production, or seawater desalination.
China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) said the first of the four pumps for the project was produced by Hainan Nuclear Power and Harbin Electric Equipment and was shipped to the construction site in March. Installation of the pump “further demonstrates China’s comprehensive strength in the design of new nuclear energy systems, high-end equipment manufacturing and coordinated management of complex projects”, CNNC noted.
CNNC began development of the Linglong One in 2010, and it was the first SMR project to pass an independent safety assessment by International Atomic Energy Agency experts in 2016. Its integrated pressurised water reactor (PWR) design was completed in 2014 and it was identified as a key project in China’s 12th Five-Year Plan. The design, which has 57 fuel assemblies and integral steam generators, was developed from the larger ACP1000 PWR. It incorporates passive safety features and could be installed underground.
CNNC formally launched the project in 2019 and China’s state council approved the ACP100 Science & Technology Demonstration Project in 2021 and first concrete was poured in July that year. The lower section of the containment shell of was hoisted into place on in February 2022 and the last tank of concrete for the nuclear island’s underground retaining walls was poured the following August. Once completed, the project will produce enough power to meet the needs of 526,000 households, CNNC said.
There are already two operating CNP600 power units at the Changjiang site, and construction of the two Hualong One power units began in March and December 2021 for operation by the end of 2026.
