China's third-generation nuclear power technology, Hualong One (HPR 1000), with independent intellectual property rights successfully passed the European Utility Requirements (EUR) compliance assessment and obtained the EUR certification, China General Nuclear (CGN) announced.
The certification results show that Hualong One has a high degree of compliance with the latest version of EUR (E version), and its design meets the latest European nuclear power requirements.
The EUR organisation comprises 14 large European power companies from France, the Czech Republic, Finland, the UK, Germany, Slovenia, Ukraine, Hungary, Spain, the Netherlands, Russia, Belgium, Turkey and other countries.
The EUR document covers more than 5000 requirements to ensure the safe and efficient operation of nuclear power plants, including safety, performance, systems and equipment, layout, instrumentation and control, operation and maintenance, environmental protection, and decommissioning.
The EUR (E version) is the latest version released by the EUR organisation in accordance with the latest international nuclear power safety requirements and market needs, taking into account the experience feedback of the Fukushima nuclear accident in terms of safety.
The EUR organisation confirmed that the EU HPR1000 design had passed all the steps of the compliance analysis with respect to the EUR Document Revision E. Manuel Carrasco, chairperson of the EUR Steering Committee, delivered the certificate on 20 October.
The EU HPR1000 EUR assessment project began in August 2017 and involved the designer (CGN) and EUR Utilities (CEZ, EDF, Fortum, Energoatom, GEN energija, NRG, PAKS II, Preussen Elektra, Rosenergoatom, and Tractebel). EUR said the HPR1000 design has been evaluated based on the Description Document, and dozens of additional design documents provided by CGN.
More than 10,000 pages of demonstration and justification documents were submitted by the designer and analysed by the EUR assessment project team during the assessment process. A total of 864 question sheets were issued and answered. “The result of the compliance analysis concerning the 5037 requirements structured in 20 chapters in the Volume 2 of the EUR Document indicated a good level of compliance for the EU HPR1000 design. Less than 1% of the EUR requirements has been identified as not compliant,” EUR said.
The HPR1000 is the seventh reactor design so far to be certified by the EUR organisation since it was established in 1991. Atomenergoproekt's VVER TOI (Russia) was certified in June 2019; Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power's APR1400 in October 2017; Mitsubishi Heavy Industry's EU-APWR (Japan) in October 2014; Areva's EPR (France) in July 2009; the Westinghouse AP1000 (USA) in May 2007; and AtomStroyExport's AES-92 advanced semi-passive VVER-1000 (Russia) in April 2007.
About the Hualong One
General Nuclear Services – a subsidiary of EDF and CGN – proposes to use the HPR1000 at a prospective new nuclear power plant in Bradwell, England.
CGN is constructing two demonstration HPR1000 reactors at the Fangchenggang site in China's Guangxi Autonomous Region. This is the reference plant for the Bradwell project.
First concrete was poured for the nuclear island of Fangchenggang unit 3 in December 2015, while that for unit 4 was poured a year later. Those units are expected to start up in 2022.
Currently seven Hualong One units are under construction in China. China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) is building one two units (5&6) at the Fuqing in Fujian Province with Fuqing 5 now undergoing commissioning and Fuqing 6 scheduled for start up in 2021. CNNC is also constructing one unit (the first of two) at Taipingling in Guangdong and two at Zhangzhou in Fujian province.
CGN is building two at its Fangchenggang site in Guangxi province. In addition, two Hualong One units are under construction at Karachi in Pakistan, while CGN proposes to use a UK version of the Hualong One at the planned Bradwell site in the UK.
Photo: The first Hualong One reactor is undergoing commissioning at Fuqing 5 in China (Credit: FQNPC)
