May-June 2018 NPJ

10 NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, May-June 2018 New Energy Sanmen Liu Hua, vice-minister of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and head of the National Nuclear Safety Administration, issued China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) ratification for fuel-loading of Unit 1 at Sanmen Nuclear Power Plant in Beijing on April 25, 2018. The ratification confirms that the world’s first AP1000 nuclear unit has met the requirements for fuel loading, including its design, civil engineering, installation, debugging and production. The system is expected to be put into operation soon. After receiving the ratification, Sanmen NNP began loading the first fueling equipment assemblies. The Sanmen project adopts the advanced passive pressurized water reactor (PWR) nuclear power technology － AP1000, led and contracted by State Power Investment Corporation in developing nuclear island. And CNNC takes the responsibility of guaranteeing construction, operations and security. Since construction on the project started in April 2009, it has always adhered to the principles of “safety and quality first”, solved various problems as they arose in the process of equipment development and construction, and has achieved substantial engineering progress. Contact: CNNC, telephone: 86- 10-68512211, fax: 86-10-68533989, website: http://en.cnnc.com.cn Barakah Reaching another milestone in the development of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) has successfully completed the Reactor Containment Building (RCB) dome for Unit 4, the final unit of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, located in the Al Dhafrah region of Abu Dhabi. The Unit’s Reactor Coolant Loop (RCL) pipe welding and the setting of key equipment have also been completed. The dome is the final structural component of the RCB, which now measures around 70 meters in height. The RCB houses the nuclear Reactor Vessel (RV), Steam Generators and other major components. Built out of concrete and heavily reinforced steel, RCBs are ranked among the strongest structures in the world. The successful and efficient completion of welding of the RCL, which plays a key role in transferring heat from the Reactor Vessel (RV) to the Steam Generators, is another key step towards the start of major testing for the systems of Unit 4. In addition to the completion of the RCB dome structure and RCL welding, a significant amount of major equipment setting has been safely and successfully completed at Barakah Unit 4. Construction crews continue to ensure that the highest standards of nuclear quality are implemented for Unit 4, in the same way as for Units 1 to 3. Contact: Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation, email: media@enec.gov.ae , website: www.enec.gov.ae Kursk II First concrete was poured on April 29, 2018 into what will become the foundations for the nuclear island buildings of unit 1 of the Kursk II nuclear power plant in western Russia. This is the first of the VVER-TOI (typical optimised, with enhanced information) design nuclear reactors. More than 16,000 cubic meters of self-compacting concrete mix will be laid in the foundation slab of the reactor building. The work will be carried out in a continuous cycle, with constant quality control of the mixture. Kursk II will initially consist of two 1200 MWe VVER-TOI units that will each add 25% to reactor capacity compared with units of the VVER-1000 design. The design also provides for a doubling of the service life of reactor equipment - from 30 to 60 years, with the possibility of extending this to 80 years, Rosatom said. In addition, the increased proportion of automation means the number of personnel required has been reduced by 30-40%. Kursk II will replace four RBMK units currently operating at the site and commissioning of the first two Kursk II units will be synchronised with the closure of Kursk 1 and 2. AEM Technology announced earlier this month it had completed the manufacture of the bottom of the reactor vessel for unit 1 of Kursk II. Source: World Nuclear News , website: www.world-nuclear-news.org Tianwan 6 The containment dome of unit 6 of the Tianwan nuclear power plant in China’s Jiangsu province was installed on May 5, 2018, marking the reactor’s entry into the equipment installation phase of construction, China Nuclear Engineering and Construction Corporation (CNECC) announced today. CNECC is a subsidiary of China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). Installation of the 148-tonne dome completes the civil construction phase of the project. The operation to lift the dome 60 meters above ground level and to lower it into place on top of the walls of the containment building took 53 minutes to complete, CNECC said. Construction of Tianwan Phase III - units 5 and 6 - was originally scheduled to start in early 2011. However, following the March 2011 accident at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi plant, the Chinese government suspended the approval of new nuclear power projects, including those two units. The latest Five-Year Plan called for construction of Phase III of the Tianwan plant to be accelerated. China’s State Council gave its approval for Tianwan units 5 and 6 - both featuring 1080 MWe ACPR1000 reactors - on 16 December 2015. First safety-related concrete was poured for unit 5 on 27 December 2015, with that for unit 6 poured on 7 September 2016. CNNC plans to put both units 5 and 6 into commercial operation by the end of 2021. Source: World Nuclear News , website: www.world-nuclear-news.org See page 33 forUnderConstruction Reactors Worldwide.