At a meeting on 22 July the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) for unit 1 of the Zhangzhou NPP in China's Fujian province passed the factory acceptance inspection. Zhangzhou 1 is the first of two Hualong One reactors under construction at the site. The RPV was designed by China National Nuclear Corporation's (CNNC's) Nuclear Power Research & Design Institute. A contract was signed with China First Heavy Machinery Company Limited (CFHI) in 2016 for its manufacture.
Nuclear Guodian Zhangzhou Energy Company Chairman Chen Guocai, Vice President Tang Chuanbao of the Nuclear Power Research & Design Institute, and China Nuclear Power Engineering Corporation Project Manager Yu Long all attended the meeting and witnessed the acceptance.
The Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued construction licences for Zhangzhou 1 and 2 in October 2019 to CNNC-Guodian Zhangzhou Energy Company, owner of the Zhangzhou NPP project, set up by CNNC (51%) and China Guodian Corporation (49%) in 2011. The licences are valid for 10 years. Work on unit 1 began a week after the construction licence was issued and construction of unit 2 began in September 2020.
In May 2014, the local government approved Phase I of the Zhangzhou plant, which was then to comprise two AP1000 units. National Nuclear Safety Administration approval followed in December 2015 and site selection was confirmed in October 2016. Construction of Phase I was originally expected to start in May 2017, but CNNC then decided to use the Hualong One design instead. Two more units are planned for Phase II and a further two for Phase III.
