The reactor pressure vessel (RPV) has been installed at unit 1 of China’s Xudabao NPP in Liaoning Province. It will be one of two CAP1000 reactors planned for the first plant, where two VVER-1200 reactors are also under construction.
The 300-tonne RPV places extremely high demands on lifting accuracy, safety control and organisation and coordination, said China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). “In order to ensure the safe and efficient completion of this hoisting task, CNNC 23 Xudabao Project Department attaches great importance to it, makes overall arrangements, and strictly implements the construction principle of ‘safety first, quality first’.
Before hoisting, the project team organised multiple rounds of expert reviews and demonstration of special plans, refined the operating procedures, optimised the hoisting path, and formulated a number of emergency plans. “Finally, in close collaboration with various participating units, the pressure vessel was successfully hoisted as a whole, and the whole process was safe and controllable, with controlled quality, demonstrating CNNC II-III’s core competitiveness in the installation of major equipment for nuclear power projects.”
CNNC said the smooth placement of the RPV not only provided ample space and technical preparation for the subsequent installation of key equipment such as steam generators, main pipes, voltage regulators, and internal components of the reactor, but also marked the progress of Xudabao 1 from the civil construction stage to the equipment installation stage.
The Xudabao project was originally expected to comprise six CAP1000 reactors with units 1&2 as the first phase. However, plans changed, and two Russian-supplied VVER-1200 reactors were instead designated for Xudabao 3&4 for which the contracts were signed in 2019, with construction starting in July 2021 and May 2022.
In November 2023, the Ministry of Ecology & Environment announced that the National Nuclear Safety Administration had decided to issue a construction licence for Xudabao 1&2 with 1250 MWe CAP1000 reactors – the Chinese version of the Westinghouse AP1000. Two further CAP1000 reactors are proposed for units 5&6.
The Xudabao NPP is owned by Liaoning Nuclear Power Company Ltd, in which CNNC holds a 70% stake with Datang International Power Generation Company holding 20% and State Development and Investment Corporation owning 10%.
