“At 08:07 (local time) on 21 February, the reactor pressure vessel of unit 6 of Lufeng nuclear power plant officially began hoisting operations and was precisely positioned on the heavy-duty trolley at 09:12, marking the official start of the installation of the first main nuclear island equipment of the unit,” China General Nuclear (CGN) announced.
The reactor pressure vessel is the high strength steel cylinder that will house the reactor core and all associated components, including the reactor vessel internals which support and stabilise the core within the reactor vessel, as well as providing the path for coolant flow and guiding movement of the control rods.
“Its installation quality directly affects the long-term safe and stable operation of the power plant,” CGN said. “The successful hoisting of the pressure vessel lays a solid foundation for the subsequent installation of main equipment and the advancement of the project for unit 6 of the Lufeng nuclear power plant.”
The construction of Hualong One reactors as units 5 and 6 at the Lufeng plant was approved by the State Council in April 2022. First concrete for unit 5 was poured on 8 September 2022, with that for unit 6 following on 26 August 2023. Units 5 and 6 are expected to be connected to the grid in 2028 and 2029, respectively.
The proposed construction of four 1250 MWe CAP1000 reactors (units 1-4) at the Lufeng site was approved by China’s National Development and Reform Commission in September 2014. However, the construction of units 1 and 2 did not receive State Council approval until 19 August 2024. The first safety-related concrete for the nuclear island of unit 1 was poured on 24 February last year, with that of unit 2 following in December. Approval for units 3 and 4 is still pending. The CAP1000 design is the Chinese version of the Westinghouse AP1000.
According to CGN, once all six units are in operation, the Lufeng plant will generate about 52 TWh, which will reduce standard coal consumption by almost 16 million tonnes and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 42 million tonnes.
