POWER November 2011 - 32

TOP PLANTs
structing new plants into the future. They
expect to rely on nuclear power for the
foreseeable future, as part of a diversified
energy portfolio that also reflects heavy
reliance on indigenous fuel sources, such
as coal and gas.
The nuclear industry in the West appears
to be stagnant at the moment, and with the
shutdown of nuclear plants in Germany,
the industry is beginning to contract. (See
this issue's " Global Monitor " for more
on major industry players withdrawing
from the nuclear arena.) In the U.S., new
nuclear is now fighting a multi-front war.
The rising cost of construction and muchlower-than-expected
natural gas prices,
plus a post-Fukushima Daiichi regulatory
environment with a seemingly reenergized
opposition, are likely to further slow forward
progress.
A nuclear industry proponent may say
that comparing the West's approach to
building new nuclear capacity to that used
Table 4. Nuclear plants that were recently shut down. Fourteen plants, representing
11.49 GW, were permanently shut down during the past two years. Source: IAEA
Plant name
Phenix
Fukushima-Daiichi 1
Fukushima-Daiichi 2
Fukushima-Daiichi 3
Fukushima-Daiichi 4
Oldbury A2
Biblis A
Biblis B
Brunsbuettel
Isar 1
Kruemmel
Neckarwestheim 1
Philippsburg 1
Unterweser
Total
Country
France
Japan
Japan
Japan
Japan
UK
Germany
Germany
Germany
Germany
Germany
Germany
Germany
Germany
Rating (MW)
130
439
760
760
760
217
1,167
1,240
771
878
1,346
785
890
1,345
11,488
Ling Ao Nuclear Power Station, Longgang District, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China
Owner/operator: Ling Ao Nuclear Power Co. Ltd. /China Guangdong Nuclear Power Co.
Even though China is one of the world's oldest
continuous civilizations, it's not just a society
focused on its ancient history. Instead, the
Chinese leadership is moving the country forward
with dynamic initiatives, particularly in
the nuclear power sector. For example, as of
2011, the People's Republic of China has 14
nuclear power reactors spread out over four
separate sites and 27 new facilities under
construction. The country's goal is to increase
its nuclear capacity to 40 GW by 2015 from
the current 11.88 GW.
Situated on a peninsula about 37 miles
from Hong Kong, the Ling Ao Nuclear Plant
is operated by China Guangdong Nuclear
Power Co. (CGNPC). Recently, the facility
launched a new reactor.
The plant's four units are divided between
Phase I and Phase II (Figure 3). The Ling Ao
Phase II-2 unit (alternatively known as Unit
4) was synchronized with the grid on May 3.
The 1,080-MW Chinese-designed CPR-1000
pressurized water reactor (PWR) began commercial
operation on August 7, five years after
construction formally began. That reactor is
the second CPR-1000 to start up, following
Ling Ao II-1 unit, which entered commercial
operation in September 2010.
The Ling Ao Nuclear Plant is located
near another large nuclear facility, the
Daya Bay Nuclear Plant. This older plant
started commercial operation of its two
32
units in 1993 and 1994. That facility has
two 944-MW PWR nuclear reactors based on
the Framatome ANP 900-MW three-coolingloop
design. Since operation of the Ling
Ao II-2 unit began, the Daya Bay/Ling Ao
nuclear complex has become the largest
nuclear power center in Guangdong Province,
housing more than 50% of China's
total operating nuclear units, according to
Alstom representatives.
With the addition of these two new 1,080MW
units (Ling Ao II-1 and Ling Ao II-2),
Guangdong Province becomes one of the few
regions in the world with nuclear plants topping
6,000 MW in operation.
Ling Ao Phase I Facility's Profile
The Ling Ao Phase I facility was constructed by
CGNPC in Guangdong in accordance with the
Chinese State Council's guideline of " utilizing
returns from existing nuclear power plants to
nurture further growth of nuclear power in a
rolling-on manner. " Composed of two 990-MW
PWRs, the Ling Ao Phase I facility made 52
significant improvements, according to CGNPC
sources. Project management, construction,
installation, testing, and operation preparation
were all completed by Chinese workers.
Parts of the engineering and equipment
manufacturing were handled locally, with
an average localization rate of 30%. More
than 180 domestic manufacturers took part
www.powermag.com
3. Ling Ao Generating Station. Courtesy:
China Guangdong Nuclear Power Co.
Date permanently shut down
2/1/10
5/20/11
5/20/11
5/20/11
5/20/11
6/30/11
8/6/11
8/6/11
8/6/11
8/6/11
8/6/11
8/6/11
8/6/11
8/6/11
in the equipment manufacturing activities.
Construction of Ling Ao Phase I commenced
on May 15, 1997, and the plant was put into
operation on January 8, 2003, 66 days ahead
of schedule, saving $381 million (10% of the
budget approved by the government).
Since the two units were put into commercial
operation, they have maintained safe operation
with good performance results, CGNPC
sources say. Unit 1 set a record of maintaining
continuous safe operation for 592 days,
including two refueling cycles, without unplanned
reactor shutdown. By April 9, 2008,
it had operated safely for a total of 1,000
days. Unit 2 created the world record of zero
unplanned reactor or turbine shutdowns in
935 days, starting with its initial criticality
and commercial operation. In 2008, the Ling
Ao Phase I facility had achieved a grid offtake
of 14.62 TWh with a capacity factor having
reached 88.68%.
-Angela Neville, JD is POWER's
senior editor.
POWER | November 2011
http://www.powermag.com
POWER November 2011

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