POWER November 2021 - 20

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Nuclear Power Foundation of
China's Future Generation
Courtesy: China National Nuclear Corp. (CNNC)
China has its sights set on being the world leader when it comes to nuclear
power technology. The country has brought its first Hualong One-a thirdgeneration
pressurized water reactor-online at the Fuqing plant in Fujian
province, with its developers calling it a " strategic tool for the government to
promote nuclear power technologies abroad. "
Darrell Proctor
C
hina is making nuclear power the
foundation of its power generation
sector, building more new nuclear
plants than any other country while also
making a concerted effort to export its
own reactor technology. The World Nuclear
Association (WNA) in September
of this year reported China has 18 reactors
under construction-representing
more than 17 GW of generation capacity-adding
to the 51 reactors (and about
50 GW of capacity) already in service.
Nuclear power has increased emphasis
in China as the country tries to improve
its emissions profile. China is the
world's leading emitter of carbon dioxide
(CO2), owing to its longtime reliance
on coal-fired power, and accounts for as
much as 30% of worldwide emissions
of CO2-more than double that of the
U.S, the world's second-ranking emitter.
Chinese officials have made development
of nuclear technology, and its export,
one of 16 major national science
and technology projects, according to
the WNA. The initiative to expand nuclear
power is led by China National Nuclear
Corp. (CNNC) and China General Nuclear
Power Group, along with State Power
Investment Corp., via that group's State
Nuclear Power Technology Corp.
A key to China's ambitions is deployment
of the world's first pilot project to
use the country's indigenous third-generation
nuclear power technology, Hualong
One, also known as the HPR1000.
The Hualong One, in use since Janu20
ary
of this year at Unit 5 of the Fuqing
plant in Fujian province-with a second
HPR1000 set to come online at Fuqing's
Unit 6 by year-end-utilizes 177
fuel assemblies (Figure 1) as reactor
cores to reduce its core power density,
while its design also is improving the
level of reactor safety, according to
CNNC, which said the installed generation
capacity of each Hualong One unit
can reach nearly 1,200 MWe. Unit 5
includes three ZH-65-type steam generators,
each more than 21 meters in
length and weighing 365 metric tons.
The generators were independently designed
by the China Nuclear Power Institute
and manufactured by Dongfang
Electric Corp.
CNNC said operation of a Hualong
One reactor makes China the fourth
country to bring indigenous Generation
III nuclear power technology to market,
following the U.S., France, and Russia.
Yu Peignen, the deputy party secretary
of CNNC and general manager
of Dongfang Electric, a primary contractor
in the construction of the new
Fuqing units, has said of the project:
" After some 30 years of learning and
innovation, China has mastered the independent
design and manufacturing
of third-generation nuclear power facilities,
and has shifted from being a novice
to a pioneer in the nuclear sector worldwide.
The third-generation Hualong One
reactor, being a star export, will also
lead to more equipment manufacturers
going abroad. " Yu said a key factor in the
www.powermag.com
1. Fuel loading for Unit 5 at the Fuqing nuclear
power plant began in September 2020.
The reactor utilizes 177 fuel assemblies as
reactor cores to reduce its core power density.
Courtesy: CNNC
design of Hualong One is that it can be
built on a mass scale.
Xing Ji, chief designer of Hualong One
at CNNC, has said the reactor's technologically
advanced design will help
forge a path for globalization of China's
nuclear power equipment industry. Xing
noted that CNNC technology is now in
use in at least seven countries, and the
agency is working with more than 40
countries on projects that would include
CNNC equipment.
Potential for Mass Production
Nuclear power experts have watched
the Fuqing project with interest because
of its reactor design, and its potential to
show how reactors can be built more
efficiently. Construction often moved
ahead of the expected timeline; for example,
the pumps at Fuqing were transported
to the site nearly three months
earlier than scheduled. Internal strucPOWER
| November 2021
http://www.powermag.com
POWER November 2021

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