Grid connection for China’s first Hualong One

The world's first Hualong One reactor at unit 5 of China’s Fuqing nuclear plant in Fujian Province was connected to the grid on 27 November.

China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) said all technical indicators of the unit were in compliance with the design requirements, and the unit was in good condition, laying a solid foundation for the subsequent commercial operation. “This signals that China has broken the monopoly of foreign nuclear power technology and has officially entered the ranks of advanced countries in nuclear power technology,” CNNC noted.

Hualong One is a third-generation pressurised water reactor developed and designed by CNNC based on more than 30 years of nuclear power research, design, manufacturing, construction and operation experience, the company said. It has a design life of 60 years and a 177 assembly core design with an 18-month refuelling cycle. The power plant's utilisation rate is as high as 90%. The active and passive safety systems, double-layer containment and other technologies meet the highest international safety standards in terms of safety, CNNC added.

All core parts and components were manufactured domestically, with a localisation rate of over 85%, and are fully capable of mass-production. CNNC said it has united 58 state-owned enterprises, more than 140 private enterprises, and linked more than 5000 enterprises in the industrial supply chain. The project had received more than 700 patents and more than 120 software copyrights.

Further Hualong One units are under construction in China. CNNC is building another unit (Fuqing 6) in Fujian Province, scheduled for start up in 2021. CNNC is also constructing one unit (the first of two) at Taipingling in Guangdong and two at Zhangzhou in Fujian province. China General Nuclear is building two at its Fangchenggang site in Guangxi province.

In addition, two Hualong One units are under construction at Karachi in Pakistan, while CGN proposes to use a UK version of the Hualong One  at the planned Bradwell site in the UK.

Commenting on the startup of the reactor, Sama Bilbao y León, director general of World Nuclear Association said; "Fuqing 5 is now providing clean. reliable and cost-effective electricity supplies to millions of customers. This first Hualong One reactor adds another design to the portfolio of advanced reactors that have started up around the world in recent years.”

The startup of Fuqing 5 brings the number of operable reactors worldwide to 442, WNA said.

Photo: Unit 5 of China's Fuqing Nuclear Power Plant was successfully connected to the grid for the first time on 27 November. [Photo/CNNC]

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