Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear power plant (NPP) on the coast of the Yellow Sea, approximately 30 kilometers east of downtown Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, China. The plant's owner is Jiangsu Nuclear Power Corporation, a joint venture with majority owner a subsidiary of China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC).
| Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant 田湾核电站 | |
|---|---|
 Units one and two in operation, with the construction site for units three and four | |
 | |
| Country | China |
| Coordinates | 34°41′13″N 119°27′35″E / 34.68694°N 119.45972°E |
| Status | Operating / Under construction |
| Construction began | 1999 |
| Commission date | May 17, 2006 |
| Owner | Jiangsu Nuclear Power Corporation |
| Nuclear power station | |
| Reactor type | PWR |
| Reactor supplier | Atomstroyexport |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 2 × 990 MW 2 × 1060 MW 2 × 1000 MW |
| Units under const. | 2 × 1150 MW |
| Nameplate capacity | 6,608 MWe (6,100 MWe net) |
| External links | |
| Commons | Related media on Commons |
| Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | 田湾核电站 | ||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 田灣核電站 | ||||||
| Hanyu Pinyin | Tiánwān Hédiànzhàn | ||||||
| |||||||
The plant is planned to have eight Soviet/Russian VVER-type reactor units, and full operation is expected to commence in 2027. Construction began in October 1999, and was the first instance of civilian nuclear cooperation between Russia and China. When all the units are complete, Tianwan will be the world's largest nuclear power plant, with generation capacity exceeding 9,000 MWe.
Design
editThe station has four levels of security. There's a double asbestos cluster, which blocks any kind of emissions. Also there's a revolutionary security improvement called the trap, which prevents any leakage of nuclear fuel in the event of a breakdown
— Alexandr Selikhov, head of Atomstroyexport's delegation to China
Most units use VVER pressurized water reactor (PWR) technology supplied from Russia. The first four units are Russian standard reactors of type VVER-1000, and have capacity approximately 1 GW. Units 5 and 6 are Chinese-designed ACPR-1000 reactors, with a traditional 3-loop system. Units 7 and 8 will use the updated VVER-1200 design capable of approximately 1.2 GW, with twice the expected operational lifetime and a 2/3-slower refueling cadence.[1][2]
The reactor units are housed in a confinement shell that can withstand a 20-ton aircraft crash, and have special earthquake protections.[citation needed] Other important safety features include an emergency "core catcher" in case of meltdown.[1]
The reactor and turbo-generators are of Russian design, but an international consortium, including Siemens, designed and built the control room. Previous control-room designs had not conformed to Western safety standards. A normal staffing load includes 5 control-room operators, but 94% of the systems are automated, and, in most circumstances, the plant could safely operate unattended. Refueling procedures, in particular, require little human intervention.
When complete, the plant's nameplate capacity will exceed 8000 MW.[3] This will make it the world's largest nuclear plant, surpassing both the active Kori NPP (7,411 MWe) and the inactive Kashiwazaki-Kariwa NPP (7,965 MWe).
Reactors
editThe Tianwan nuclear power plant has six operating units and two under construction:[4]
| Unit | Reactor type | Capacity (MW) | Construction | Criticality | Grid intertie | Commercial operations | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net | Gross | Thermal | Start | Contractor | |||||
| 1 | VVER-1000/428 (AES-91) | 990 | 1060 | 3000 | 1999-10-20 | Atomstroyexport (ASE) | 2005-12-20 | 2006-05-12 | 2007-05-17 |
| 2 | VVER-1000/428 | 990 | 1060 | 3000 | 2000-10-20 | ASE | 2007-05-01 | 2007-05-14 | 2007-08-16 |
| 3 | VVER-1000/428M | 1060 | 1126 | 3000 | 2012-12-27 | ASE & CNPE | 2017-09-29 | 2017-12-30 | 2018-02-14 |
| 4 | VVER-1000/428M | 1060 | 1126 | 3000 | 2013-09-27 | ASE & CNPE | 2018-09-30 | 2018-10-27 | 2018-12-22 |
| 5 | ACPR-1000 | 1000 | 1118 | 2905 | 2015-12-27 | China Nuclear Power Engineering, Ltd. (CNPE) | 2020-07-27 | 2020-08-08 | 2020-09-08 |
| 6 | ACPR-1000 | 1000 | 1118 | 2905 | 2016-09-07 | CNPE | 2021-05-04 | 2021-05-11 | 2021-06-03 |
| 7 | VVER-1200 | 1171 | 1265 | 3212 | 2021-05-19 | 2026 (planned) | |||
| 8 | VVER-1200 | 1171 | 1265 | 3212 | 2022-02-25 | 2027 (planned) | |||
History
editThe Tianwan reactor's genesis is a 1992 nuclear cooperation agreement between Russia and China.[1] Regulators approved the initial design in 1997, and construction commenced on unit 1 in 1999 and a year later on Unit 2.[1] At the time, it was the largest reactor project of that design, and initial construction was slow. Corrosion in steam pipes delayed completion, but unit 1 went critical in 2005, and both units 1 and 2 entered commercial operation in 2007.[2] Russia delivered initial fuel loads for the Tianwan reactors, but China planned to begin indigenous fuel fabrication for the Tianwan plant in 2010, using technology transferred from Russian manufacturer TVEL.[5]
One year earlier (2009), Jiangsu Nuclear Power Corporation signed a contract with Atomstroyexport (ASE) for units 3 and 4,[1] but the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster delayed the start of construction for unit 3 until the end of 2012.[2][6] Construction of unit 4 would begin about a year later,[7][8] and the development cadence became quite swift. In 2015 and 2016, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) started construction of units 5 and 6 (respectively).[2][9][10] In 2017, unit 3 achieved criticality,[1][6] and both units 3 and 4 started commercial operation in 2018.[1][7]
Units 3 and 4 initially remained owned by ASE, but in March 2019, CNNC contracted with ASE for units 7 and 8.[3][11] The following January, ASE transferred control of units 3 and 4 to Jiangsu Nuclear Power Corporation.[12]
Later in 2020, unit 5 achieved criticality and then entered commercial operation.[10][13] Construction of unit 7 began in May 2021[14] and then unit 6 entered commercial operation in June 2021.[9][15] Unit 8 began construction in 2022[11][16] and commercial operation of units 7 and 8 is expected to begin by 2027.[17]
Finances
editThe plant is owned by Jiangsu Nuclear Power Corporation (JNPC), a joint venture between China National Nuclear Power (50%), Shang Hai HeXi Power Investment (30%), and Jiangsu Guoxin Group (20%).[1]
Each of the first two reactor units cost approximately US$1.6 billion.[2]
For units 1-4, the reactors are Rosatom products, but Atomstroyexport designed the units as a whole.[1]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i Morris, Roy. "Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant, Lianyungang, Jiangsu, China". NSEnergy. Progressive Media International. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
- ^ a b c d e "Nuclear Power in China". Information Library. London: World Nuclear Association. November 2023 [2010]. Archived from the original on 2016-09-07. Retrieved 17 Dec 2023.
- ^ a b "Fuel loading completed at fifth Tianwan unit". World Nuclear News. London: World Nuclear Association. 13 July 2020. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
- ^ "China, People's Republic of". Power Reactor Information System (PRIS). International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Retrieved 2023-03-26.
- ^ "Tianwan fuel fabrication moves to China". World Nuclear News. 2 March 2010. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
- ^ a b "Tianwan 3". PRIS. IAEA. April 24, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
- ^ a b "Tianwan 4". PRIS. IAEA. April 24, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
- ^ "Construction begins on Tianwan 4". World Nuclear News. 27 September 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
- ^ a b "Tianwan 6". PRIS. IAEA. April 24, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
- ^ a b "Tianwan 5". PRIS. IAEA. April 24, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
- ^ a b "Tianwan 8". PRIS. IAEA. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ^ "Rosatom transfers Tianwan unit 3 to Chinese customer - World Nuclear News". www.world-nuclear-news.org. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
- ^ "Tianwan 5 achieves criticality : New Nuclear - World Nuclear News". www.world-nuclear-news.org. Retrieved 2020-07-30.
- ^ "Work starts on new Tianwan and Xudabao units". World Nuclear News. 19 May 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
- ^ "Tianwan 6 enters commercial operation". World Nuclear News. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
- ^ "Construction starts on eighth Tianwan unit : New Nuclear - World Nuclear News".
- ^ "AtomStroyExport unveils schedule for China projects". World Nuclear News. 3 April 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
External links
edit
Media related to Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant at Wikimedia Commons
