China Guangdong Nuclear inks MoU with Vietnam Atomic Energy Commission

China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the Vietnam Atomic Energy Commission for cooperation in the nuclear power sector, the company said in a report on its website.

According to the MOU, Guangdong Nuclear will aid Vietnam in nuclear technology transfer in the future, the company said earlier this week, without providing further details.

Vietnam will sign a contract with Russian energy group Rosatom later this year for the construction of the country’s first nuclear power plant–the 2,000-megawatt Ninh Thuan 1 plant, Pham Khanh Toan, head of the Vietnam Institute of Energy under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said last month.

The 2,000-MW Tianwan nuclear power station in eastern China’s Jiangsu province, which went into operation in 2007, also used Russian technology.

Source: Automated Trader / Dow Jones

Chinese ‘Nuclear City’ to start construction

Plans are advancing for the construction of the first industrial park in China to help with the rapid development of the country’s nuclear power industry, with detailed engineering and construction preparation work at the site in Haiyan, Zhejiang province, expected to start soon.

The coastal city of Haiyan, on the Yangtze Delta, has been selected to house the ‘Nuclear City’. It is some 118 kilometres (70 miles) southwest of Shanghai and close to the cities of Hangzhou, Suzhou and Ningbo. It also lies midway along China’s coast, where several nuclear power plants have been constructed or are planned.

In Zhejiang province itself, there are currently five nuclear power reactors in operation and two under construction at Qinshan. There are also two reactors under construction at the Fangjiashan plant. By 2014, when all nine units should be in operation, electrical generating capacity will total some 6300 MWe.

In addition to the nuclear power plants, the headquarters of 18 leading Chinese nuclear equipment suppliers are currently in Haiyan, as are branch offices of all the major Chinese nuclear design institutes and construction companies.

In March 2010, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) launched its nuclear power base – ‘China Nuclear Power City’ – in Haiyan. In April, the Zhejiang provincial government signed a “strategic energy cooperation agreement” with China Guangdong Nuclear Power Corporation (CGNPC). The conceptual design of the Haiyan Nuclear City has been completed in Beijing. In July, local and provincial officials met to formally approve the project and to finalize the location, scope and industries involved. Detailed engineering and construction preparation work was expected to start almost immediately.

CNNC and the Zhejiang government plan to accelerate the construction of the nuclear components centre and training centre in Haiyan. The central area of the industrial park and the exhibition centre was to be launched first in July 2010. Enterprises in the industrial park will enjoy priority for bidding quota, bidding training, qualification guidance and specific purchasing with CNNC.

China will reportedly spend some $175 billion over the next ten years on developing the 130 square-kilometre Haiyan Nuclear City.

The Haiyan nuclear industrial park is entitled to all the preferential benefits granted to national economic and technological zones and national hi-tech industrial zones.

The Nuclear City is expected to have four main areas of work: development of the nuclear power equipment manufacturing industry; nuclear training and education; applied nuclear science industries (medical, agricultural, radiation detection and tracing); and promotion of the nuclear industry.

On its website, the Haiyan Nuclear City said that it will be based on the Burgundy region of France, which successfully became an industrial centre for the French nuclear industry. Several small and medium sized French nuclear-related companies moved to Burgundy to actively participate in the global market.

On 12 August, a group of 30 members from the French-China Electricity Partnership (PFCE) and the French Nuclear Industry Association (GIIN) visited Haiyan seeking to find opportunities for cooperation and investment projects for some 52 French suppliers to Electricité de France (EdF). They signed a letter of intent for promoting cooperation in nuclear related industry with the local government.

Source: World Nuclear News

Hongyanhe plant shifts to phase II

A ceremony was held on 28 July to mark the breaking of ground for the two 1000 MWe CPR-1000 pressurized water reactors which will form Phase II of the Hongyanhe nuclear power plant in Liaoning province in northeast China. The National Development and Reform Commission approved the construction of Phase II in May. The cost of constructing Phase II is 25 billion yuan ($3.7 billion), according to the Xinhua news agency. Over 80% of the equipment to be used in the Phase II units is expected to be sourced domestically. Construction of each of the four CPR-1000 units making up the adjacent Phase I of the Hongyanhe plant is already underway. Yang Xiaofeng, manager of Liaoning Hongyanhe Nuclear Power Co, said that all six units at the site should be in operation by the end of 2016. The plant is jointly owned by China Guangdong Nuclear Power Co (CGNPC) and the China Power Investment Corp, each holding a 45% stake, with the Dalian Municipal Construction Investment Co holding the remaining 10%.

Source: World Nuclear News

Valve contract awarded to Dresser Masoneilan

Dresser Masoneilan of the USA has been awarded a contract by China Nuclear Power Engineering Co (CNPEC) to supply control valves for units 1 and 2 of the Taishan nuclear power plant under construction in Guangdong province.

Under the contract, Dresser Masoneilan – a division of Houston-based Dresser Inc – will provide manufacturing, design, installation and support services for the supply process control valves and actuators both inside and outside of the reactor containment areas of the Taishan units. The value of the contract was not disclosed.

In April, US valve manufacturer Flowserve was awarded a contract by CNPEC to supply safety-related valves for Taishan units 1 and 2. Under that contract, Flowserve will supply the main steam isolation valves (MSIVs), the main feedwater isolation valves (MFIVs) and the feedwater motor-operated valves for the units.

Taishan 1 and 2 are the first two reactors based on Areva’s EPR technology to be built in China. The first two EPRs planned for the site form part of an €8 billion contract signed by Areva and the Guangdong Nuclear Power Group (CGNPC) in November 2007. The Taishan project is owned by the Guangdong Taishan Nuclear Power Joint Venture Company Limited (TNPC), a joint venture between EDF (30%) and CGNPC.

First concrete was poured in October 2009, and unit 1 should be commissioned early in 2014, with unit 2 in 2015.

Last month, Dresser Masoneilan announced that it had been awarded $10 million in control valve contracts in China for CPR-1000 reactor plants under construction in Hongyanhe, Ningde, Yangjiang and Fangchenggang.

Source: World Nuclear News

China Light and Power buys into Yangjiang NPP

Hong Kong-based power utility China Light and Power (CLP) is to take a 17% stake in the six-unit Yangjiang nuclear power plant under construction in China’s neighbouring Guangdong province – the equivalent of one reactor.

CLP has announced that it has signed an agreement of cooperation intent with China Guangdong Nuclear Power Co (CGNPC) and Guangdong Yudean Group Co to co-invest in the plant. In a statement, CLP said that CGN Phase I Private Equity Fund Co Ltd will also take a stake in the project.

How the Yangjiang plant could eventually look (Image: YGNP)

Chan Siu Hung, director of CLP subsidiary CLP Nuclear Investment Co Ltd, said: “The Yangjiang project reinforces CLP’s ongoing commitment towards low carbon generation to meet the interim target of increasing our non-carbon-emitting generating capacity to 20% by 2020, as set out in our Climate Vision 2050.”

He added, “This investment also supports the central government’s announcement to cut 40% to 45% of carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP in China by 2020 from its 2005 level, whilst contributing to the sustainable development of the Pearl River Delta region.”

“We are pleased to work closely with CGNPC – our longtime partner in the Daya Bay nuclear power station,” Chan said. “This agreement marks another important milestone in our collaboration on clean power generation in the Mainland.”

The Yangjiang plant – eventually to comprise six 1080 MWe pressurized water reactors – will be CGNPC’s second nuclear power plant after Daya Bay, also in Guangdong province. Development of all six units at Yangjiang was approved in 2004, with the CPR-1000 reactor design later confirmed as technology. Construction of the first of two units started in December 2008 for commercial operation in 2013. The second pair of units will follow closely, then the final two, with the last being finished in 2017.

The Daya Bay plant was built in the early 1990s and some 70% of the output from its two 944 MWe reactors has always been purchased by CLP. This makes up 30% of CLP’s supplies and 25% of Hong Kong’s overall.

In September 2009, the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) approved a 20-year contract extension between CLP and CGNPC. The Daya Bay plant will therefore continue to supply a large portion of Hong Kong’s electricity until at least 2034.

Source: World Nuclear News

CNNC inks agreement with the province of Sichuan

A nuclear power plant could be constructed in China’s southwestern inland Sichuan province following the signing of an agreement between China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC) and the provincial government.

During a signing ceremony in Chengdu on 24 June, a framework agreement on cooperation in the field of nuclear power was signed by CNNC and the Sichuan government.

Signing of the CNNC-Sichuan agreement (Image: CNNC)

Under the agreement, the Sichuan government will actively support CNNC, which was instructed by the Chinese government to conduct preliminary work for the construction of nuclear power projects in the province as part of the country’s nuclear power policy and development plans.

CNNC will hold a controlling stake in any nuclear power plant it builds in Sichuan. The company said that it aims to get approval as soon as possible from the central government to construct power reactors in the province.

In addition, Sichuan will actively support CNNC in prospecting and mining uranium resources in the province and in developing nuclear fuel processing and manufacturing enterprises in Sichuan.

CNNC’s main pressurized water reactor fuel fabrication plant at Yibin, Sichuan province, was set up in 1982 to supply Qinshan 1. It is operated by CNNC subsidiary China Jianzhong Nuclear Fuel (JNF), and by October 2008 was producing 400 tU/yr. VVER fuel fabrication was due to begin in 2009, using technology transferred from TVEL under the fuel supply contract for Tianwan. The Yibin plant is expected to keep expanding – to 600 tU per year by 2010 and 1000 tU per year or more by 2020.

More than 16 provinces, regions and municipalities have announced intentions to build nuclear power plants in the 12th Five Year Plan, 2011-15. These include Sichuan province.

In July 2008, it was announced that Sichuan was planning the 4000-6000 MWe Sanba nuclear power plant at Nanchong or Nanchun city on the Jialing River, at a cost of some $3.7 billion. Majority ownership would be China Guangdong Nuclear Power Company (CGNPC), but the project will also be open to other investors.

The eleven nuclear power reactors currently in operation in China are all on the country’s eastern coast. A number of provinces – including Sichuan, Chongqing, Hubei, Henan and Jiangxi – are vying to construct China’s first inland nuclear power plant.

Source: World Nuclear News

CGNPG denies radiation leak at Daya Bay 2

The operator of a nuclear power plant in southern China has acknowledged possible cracks in fuel tubes but, contradicting Hong Kong authorities, denied that any radiation had leaked out.

“Daya Bay’s two reactor units are functioning safely and stably. There has been no radioactive leak,” China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group said in a notice posted on its website Tuesday.

However, the notice said that on May 23 technicians detected abnormally high radioactivity in the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station’s systems, which it said may have been due to cracks in fuel tubing.

Washington-based Radio Free Asia first reported a leak at the plant, which the Hong Kong government confirmed on Tuesday.

Daya Bay is located about 50 kilometres (31 miles) north of Hong Kong in China’s Guangdong province, and is part-owned and managed by CLP Power, Hong Kong’s largest electricity supplier.

The Hong Kong government’s statement had said there was a “very small leakage at a fuel rod” that had been completely quarantined.

Radio Free Asia had quoted a “Hong Kong expert source” as saying a large amount of radioactive iodine was released into the air. It said the plant’s management had kept the incident secret and only later reported it to authorities in Beijing.

China Guangdong Nuclear Power said the situation was too minor to warrant an international nuclear incident report. CLP had already made a similar statement.

Source: Asia One News

Hong Kong: Minor radiation leakage at Daya Bay contained

A southern Chinese nuclear power plant that supplies electricity to Hong Kong suffered a small radiation leak last month but the incident was contained, the government said Tuesday.

A fuel rod at the Guangdong Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station experienced a “very small leakage” that increased radioactivity levels slightly in the nuclear reactor’s cooling water on May 23, Hong Kong’s Security Bureau said in a statement.

The leak was “completely quarantined and, therefore, had no impact on the public,” the bureau said.

With Hong Kong just 30 miles (48 kilometres ) away, many nervous residents had opposed the construction of the Daya Bay plant, which opened in 1994, with 1 million people signing a petition against it.

The plant is 25 per cent-owned by Hong Kong’s CLP Group, with 70 per cent of its output allocated to this semiautonomous southern Chinese city. China’s Guangdong Nuclear Investment Co. holds the remaining stake.

Source: Times Herald / The Canadian Press

China and Kazakhstan signs cooperation agreement

China and Kazakhstan have agreed to build and finance a gas pipeline and deepen cooperation in atomic energy, giving Beijing greater access to Astana’s vast uranium resources.

The agreements were reached during the just concluded visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao to Astana.

As per the agreements, Kazatomprom, the state run Kzhak nuclear firm, would supply uranium to China Guangdong Nuclear Power Corporation (CGNPC). The details of the agreement were not disclosed.

This is Hu’s second visit to Kazakhstan in six months.

During his visit on June 12, Hu held talks with his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev on ways to enhance the strategic partnership between the two countries.

Both the countries have also signed a new deal to build and finance a natural gas pipeline.

Under the agreement, the two countries will build a 1,400-km gas pipeline. It will link with an existing gas pipeline running between China and Central Asia.

Source: Press Trust of India

EDF inks nuclear cooperation with China

EDF has signed agreements with China National Nuclear Corporation and China Guangdong Nuclear Power Holding Company (CGNPC) to become a partner in China’s nuclear programme.

The agreement is intended to strengthen the engineering collaboration between the companies, which started with the construction of the nuclear plants of Daya Bay and Ling Ao in Guangdong Province. This agreement will see increased liaison between the two groups, particularly in the fields of training, project management and R&D.

The partnership with CGNPC complements the joint-venture agreement, concluded with EDF in 2008, for the construction and operation of two EPR nuclear reactors at Taishan. It provides a broader framework for co-operation between the two groups, particularly in the fields of engineering, purchasing and R&D. It is also a reminder of the determination of EDF and CGNPC to identify the opportunities for joint development projects, both within China and internationally.

These two agreements are a consolidation of the EDF’s 25-year strategic presence in China. As operator of the largest number of nuclear installations globally, the Group is therefore participating, alongside the largest nuclear operator in China, in the biggest nuclear construction programme in the world.

Source: Power-Gen Worldwide

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