12.09.2007 // Press service of Atomstroyexport

Atomstroyexport has completed the construction of the 1st and 2nd units of Tianwan NPP in China

On Sept 12 2007 4:30 PM (2:30 PM Moscow time) the director general of Jiangsu Nuclear Power Corporation (JNPC) and the head of Atomstroyexport’s Department for NPP construction in China signed a protocol for preliminary acceptance of the 2nd unit of Tianwan NPP.

Thus, Atomstroyexport, the general contractor of the project, has fulfilled its contractual obligations for building and commissioning the 1st and 2nd units of the plant. Both units are operating safely at full capacity and are supplying electricity to Jiangsu province.

Now Atomstroyexport will maintain the units for two years. The protocol for preliminary acceptance of the 1st unit was signed on June 4 2007.

The completion of the project is a real victory of Russian nuclear power engineers, a proof of the high quality and safety of Russian nuclear technologies. Atomstroyexport has fulfilled all of its obligations. Today, it is the only company in the world having a real reference project of modern nuclear power plant.

Tianwan NPP has become a vivid example of the Russian-Chinese mutually beneficial cooperation in the field of nuclear power engineering. The project has given China a strong and safe nuclear power plants and a big group of well-trained operators, while Russia has proved the efficiency of its nuclear power companies and their ability to implement hard and important projects.

Atomenergoproject from St.Petersburg was the general designer of the project, Hydropress Experimental Design Bureau – the designer of the reactor system, Kurchatov Institute – the scientific manager of the project, Izhora Plants and Power Machines – the suppliers of equipment. Over 150 Russian companies and organizations were involved in the construction.

The successful completion of the construction of the 1st and 2nd units of Tianwan NPP will strengthen the positions of Russia on the world NPP construction markets.

Note

On Dec 18 1992 the Russian and Chinese governments agreed that they would jointly build an NPP in China and that Russia would provide China with a government credit for that project. In 1992–1997 the sides considered details, made contracts and additional agreements, prepared the feasibility report, Russia supplied China with necessary materials. At first, the sides planned to build the NPP in the province of Liaoning, but, later, they chose Lianyungang City of Jiangsu Province. On Dec 29 1997 Russia and China signed a general contract stipulating that Atomstroyexport should build in Lianyungang two nuclear power units with WWER-1000 reactors with a total capacity of 2000 MW. The construction was started in 1998.

Experts say that WWER-1000 reactor is very safe. It has deeply echeloned protection system: double shell for preventing emission of radiation and for protecting the reactor and a kind of a trap for keeping melted core inside and preventing it from destroying the foundations of the plant in case of an accident. This is a unique technology and China is the first country to have it. The “trap” has been designed by Russian engineers and approved by Russian, Chinese and IAEA inspectors.

Unit 2

16 Mar 2007 Atomstroyexport started fueling the reactor. 163 fuel assemblies loaded;

May 1 2007 the reactor was started and produced controlled chain reaction;

May 14 2007 the unit was connected to the energy network of China;

July 11 2007 the reactor system was set at full capacity;

Aug 16 2007 the unit was put into commercial service;

Aug 24 2007 the unit produced the 1,000,000,000th KWh;

Sept 12 2007 Atomstroyexport officially commissioned the unit.

Atomstroyexport is the leading Russian organization implementing inter-governmental agreements on the construction of NPPs abroad. Presently, it is simultaneously building nuclear power units in India (Kudankulam), Iran (Bushehr)and Bulgaria (Belene).