The first phase of the Qinshan nuclear power plant, the first
Chinese facility of its kind, will add two additional generating
units.
Xu Pengfei, deputy general manager of Qinshan Nuclear Power
Company of China National Nuclear Power Corporation, said
preparation for the construction had been going smoothly.
Two pressurized reactors -- the application of the
most-sophisticated and widely-accepted nuclear power technology in
the world -- would be installed at Fangjiashan, Haiyan, on the
northern coast of Hangzhou Bay, Zhejiang Province, not far from
Shanghai. Each generating unit would have an installed capacity of
one million kilowatts.
"The expansion will be conducive to a sustainable development of
the Qinshan nuclear power plant and will enable the plant to
provide the Yangtze River Delta with more nuclear power," Xu
said.
A panel of experts has passed a feasibility report on the two
planned generating units. The State Environmental Protection
Administration approved two other reports involving the
environmental impact and location safety over the proposed
expansion.
Xu added workers would start to dig holes for housing the two
pressurized reactors in the first quarter of 2009. The entire
construction would be finished in 2014.
The first phase of Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant was the first
nuclear power plant on the Chinese mainland built independently by
domestic engineers.
Construction of the plant began in 1985. It was built with a
300,000-kilowatt prototype reactor with a lifespan of 30 years. It
started generating power in 1991.
The first phase of the plant, which has been suspended from
power generation for a change of fuel on October 28, would resume
operation in January.
It has so far generated 31 billion kwh of electricity, and
produced 9.6 billion yuan (US$1.28 billion) in revenue and paid 1.8
billion yuan in tax.
The plant also has second and third phases.
Chinese engineers have installed two generating units in the
second phase and have been preparing for adding at least two more
generating units.
They have also installed two other heavy water reactors as
generating units in cooperation with a Canadian company in the
third phase.
(Xinhua News Agency December 28, 2007)
