January-February 2019 NPJ

8 NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, January-February 2019 New Energy Fuqing The reactor pressure vessel of China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC)’s Fuqing Unit 6, China’s self- developed third-generation HPR1000 demonstration project, was successfully placed in position, on December 10, 2018, making it possible for follow-up assembly work. The reactor pressure vessel enables the nuclear reaction to proceed within a controllable temperature and pressure range. Compared with the second- generation unit, the HPR1000 pressure vessel is manufactured to meet the latest standards. It meets a higher standard in the areas of design, material development, welding and machinery. The pressure vessel was designed by the Nuclear Power Institute of China, a division of CNNC, and it took four years for China First Heavy Industries to manufacture. Contact: CNNC, telephone: 86-10- 68512211, website: en.cnnc.com.cn/ Tianwan Unit 4 of the Tianwan nuclear power plant in China’s Jiangsu province has entered commercial operation after completing demonstration operation at nominal capacity for 100 hours. Tianwan Phase I - units 1 and 2 - was constructed under a 1992 cooperation agreement between China and Russia. First concrete was poured in October 1999, and the units were commissioned in June 2007 and September 2007, respectively. Tianwan Phase II - units 3 and 4 - are similar to the first stage of the Tianwan plant, comprising two AES-91 VVER- 1000 units designed by Gidropress and supplied by Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom. First concrete for unit 3 was poured in December 2012, while construction of the fourth unit began in September 2013. Unit 3 achieved first criticality on September 29, 2017 and was connected to the grid on December 30, 2018. That unit entered commercial operation on February 15, 2018. The loading of a total of 163 fuel assemblies into the core of unit 4 was started onAugust 25, 2018 and completed on September 2, 2018. The reactor achieved first criticality on September 30, 2018. Dynamic tests have since been performed on the reactor at 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of capacity. The demonstration test run of the reactor at nominal capacity for 100 hours was completed at 3:17am on December 22, 2018 , China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) has announced. Rosatom said the commissioning stage of Tianwan 4’s nuclear island had been successfully completed. Contact: CNNC, telephone: 86-10- 68512211, website: en.cnnc.com.cn/ Taishan GN and EDF announced, at a joint press conference in Beijing, that unit 1 of Taishan nuclear power plant had become the world’s first EPR to enter into commercial operation. This last milestone was reached on Thursday 13th of December 2018 after the final statutory functional test of continuous operation at full power for 168 hours. The successful outcome of this test marks the achievement of all prerequisite conditions for the reactor’s safe operation. Comprising two 1750-MW EPR reactors, Taishan nuclear power plant is the biggest cooperation project to have taken place between China and France in the energy sector. Taishan’s two reactors are capable of supplying the Chinese power grid with up to 24 TWh of CO2- free electricity a year, tantamount to the annual electricity consumption of 5 million Chinese users, whilst at the same time preventing the emission of 21 million tons of CO2 a year. The Taishan project is being led by TNPJVC, a joint venture founded by CGN (51%), EDF (30%) and a regional Chinese utility called Yuedian (19%). The EDF Group and its Framatome subsidiary supplied the third-generation EPR technology, which meets the highest international safety standards. EDF also contributed operating experience from the construction of its Flamanville-3 EPR. The use of this operating experience was a crucial factor in successfully completing the initial phases of the Taishan 1 construction project. CGN, which oversaw the construction phase of the project, capitalised on more than 30 years of experience in the construction of nuclear power plants. Contact: EDF, telephone: 33 (0) 1 40 42 46 37, email: service-de-presse@ edf.fr . Barakah The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) has successfully completed Cold Hydrostatic Testing (CHT) at Unit 3 of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The testing, which is a crucial step towards the completion of Unit 3 of the 4-unit Barakah plant, incorporated the lessons learned from Units 1 and 2 and represents a significant milestone in the development of the UAE Peaceful Nuclear Energy Program. Prior to the commencement of CHT, Unit 3’s Nuclear Steam Supply Systems were flushed with demineralized water, and the Reactor Pressure Vessel Head and Reactor Coolant Pump Seals were installed. During the Cold Hydrostatic Testing, the welds, joints, pipes and components of the reactor coolant system and associated high-pressure systems were verified. As a part of CHT, the pressure inside Unit 3’s systems was increased to 25% above what will be the normal operating pressure, demonstrating the quality and robust nature of the Unit’s construction. Throughout the testing process, inspection teams from Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP), the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), along with ENEC and Nawah Energy Company (Nawah) commissioning oversight and quality surveillance personnel, performed detailed system inspections, verifying no component and piping system leakage. Earlier in 2018, ENEC and KEPCO successfully completed all major construction work including major concrete pouring, installation of the Turbine Generator, and the internal components of the Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV) of Unit 3, which paved the way for the commencement of testing and commissioning. Contact: ENEC, telephone: 971 2 659 5555, email: media@enec.gov.ae .