18.03.2008 // Press service of Atomstroyexport CJSC

Tianwan NPP has successfully completed the first scheduled maintenance and refueling of its 1st reactor

The maintenance campaign has been carried out with the support of Atomstroyexport specialists.

The Chinese and Russian specialists have refueled the reactor and replaced some of its fuel assemblies.

They have also tested the metal of the main reactor equipment (the shell, the main circulation pipelines, the heat exchange tubes of the steam generators) and have inspected the main circulation pumps, the turbine, the generator, the condenser, the high pressure heaters and other equipment.

On Mar 3 2008 the capacity of the reactor was raised to the minimum controlled level. On Mar 12 the turbine generator of the 1st unit was restarted. Presently, the capacity is being raised to 100%.

Since its launch Tianwan NPP has supplied Jiangsu province with over 12mln MWh.

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.

Among the other participants in the Unit 2 project were Atomenergoproject (St. Petersburg), general designer of Tianwan NPP, Hydropress, designer of reactor system, Kurchatov Institute, research manager, as well as Izhora Plants, Power Machines and other companies producing equipment for NPPs – a total of 150 Russian companies and organizations.

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.

During a meeting in Moscow on Nov 6 2007 President of Atomstroyexport CJSC Sergey Shmatko and General Manager of Jiangsu Nuclear Power Corporation (JNPC) Jiang Guoyuan signed a framework agreement for the construction of the 3rd and 4th units of Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant (China).

Atomstroyexport CJSC is the leading Russian organization implementing contracts for the construction of nuclear power plants abroad. After the launch of two units of Tianwan NPP in China, ASE continues the construction of Kudankulam NPP in India, Busherh NPP in Iran and Belene NPP in Bulgaria.