China’s Hualong One reactor passes tests and becomes operational. Beijing aims to export it
The demonstration project of Hualong One, China's third-generation nuclear reactor, passed final acceptance tests on Friday, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) announced . So now it can be freely offered both for production in China and for the rest of the world.
The project comprises two reactors – Unit 5 and Unit 6 – at the Fuqing Nuclear Power Plant in the city of Fuzhou in the southeastern province of Fujian. Hoalong One, means "Chinese Dragon No. 1". The name of the export model is called “APR 1000”.
The reactor is a compressed water model with a double safety system, active and passive. The expected lifetime of the reactor is 60 years.
Passing tests on Friday was the final step marking the project's completion, meaning China's nuclear power expertise is now among the best in the world, CNNC said.
Construction of Fuqing Unit 5 started in May 2015 and that of Unit 6 in December of the same year. Unit 5 went into commercial operation in January 2021 and Unit 6 in March 2022.
Currently, the two units can generate 20 billion kWh of electricity annually, or 20 million MWh.
“The project has achieved the best performance in terms of construction durability, cost efficiency, operational safety and quality among all global third generation nuclear unit demonstration projects,” Song Lin said in an interview with CGTN, general manager of CNNC Fujian Fuqing Nuclear Power Co.
The project construction process provides valuable references for the future construction of the Hualong One units,” CNNC said.
Global interest in Hualong One
Since 2017, experts and insiders from Eastern Europe, South America, the Middle East and Africa have visited the Fuqing Nuclear Power Plant to learn about Hualong One, during multiple trips organized by the International Agency for Atomic Energy, the World Association of Nuclear Operators and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China.
The reactor is also approved for Europe, which could be a market for Chinese technology
“When we introduced Hualong One to other countries, they showed great interest. We have provided the performance parameters of its construction and the feedback we have received demonstrates that Hualong One has significant competitive advantages,” said Song.
“According to my observations, they had two typical reactions after seeing the Hualong One. One is amazement at the cutting edge of China's nuclear technology and the other is the intention to strengthen cooperation with China in the field of nuclear energy,” he added.
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The article China's Hualong One reactor passes tests and becomes operational. Beijing aims to export it comes from Scenari Economici .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/il-reattore-cinese-hualong-one-supera-i-test-e-diventa-operativo-pechino-punta-ad-esportarlo/ on Sun, 07 May 2023 15:34:42 +0000.