Approval from China’s State Council to add four AP1000 plants

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In summary, China's State Council has approved the addition of four AP1000 nuclear power plants, marking a significant step in the country's efforts to enhance its energy infrastructure and transition to cleaner energy sources. This decision reflects China's commitment to expanding its nuclear energy capacity amidst rising energy demands and environmental concerns.
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Cranberry Township, PA, August 29, 2024 – Westinghouse Electric Company congratulates China’s State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) and China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) for receiving approval from China’s State Council to add four AP1000® technology-based plants to their growing list of newbuild projects. This brings the total number of operational and approved reactors in China based on AP1000 technology to 16.

https://info.westinghousenuclear.co...new-ap1000-technology-based-reactors-in-china
 
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  • #2
How do the Chinese sites compare to the Fukushima reactor site?

Is the AP1000 a better reactor design?

From what I have read, the AP1000 design has a more robust containment structure than Fukushima and fewer moving parts, such as pumps and valves, to control.
 
  • #3
From the article cited, two units are located at Bailong Nuclear Power Project, which is on the south coast (near the Vietnam border) in Guangxi Province, northwest of Hainan Island, while the other two units are located at Lufeng Nuclear Power Plant, which is on the southeast coast in Guangdong Province.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guangxi_Bailong_Nuclear_Power_Project
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lufeng_Nuclear_Power_Plant
As I recall, the CAP-1000 is a derivative of the AP-1000.

jedishrfu said:
How do the Chinese sites compare to the Fukushima reactor site?

Is the AP1000 a better reactor design?

From what I have read, the AP1000 design has a more robust containment structure than Fukushima and fewer moving parts, such as pumps and valves, to control.

AP1000 is a PWR rather than the BWR designs deployed at Fukushima Daiichi. The AP1000 has a passive cooling systems. PWRs have two coolant loops, a primary loop which includes the reactor core, and a secondary loop which includes the steam turbine. The primary and secondary coolants are kept separated in the steam generator in which the primary coolant passes through and inside thin-walled Inconel-690 or Incoloy-800 (or equivalent) tubing, while the secondary loop coolant passes along the outside (shell side) of the steam geneator tubing.

Most Chinese NPPs are located on the coast.
https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profiles/countries-a-f/china-nuclear-power

China's State Council has approved the construction of six nuclear power units: units 5 and 6 of the Ningde plant in Fujian Province; units 1 and 2 of the Shidaowan plant in Shandong Province; and units 1 and 2 of the Xudabao plant in Liaoning Province.
https://world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Six-reactors-approved-for-construction-in-China

China is also introducing a new domestic design, Haulong One (HPR-1000), which appears to use elements of the AP-1000 design.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hualong_One
 
  • #4
I don't know about the siting characteristics.

As far as the plant design, the most damaged Fukushima units are 1960s era, the new AP1000 units were designed in this century, though the roots go back to the late 1980s. The safety systems are more robust. For example, decay heat removal does not rely on AC power from diesel generators.

The US AP1000 units in Georgia comply with the USNRC aircraft impact rule, I'm not sure if the China units do.
 

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