In early October, Hebei Iron and Steel Group delivered around 6000 tons of nuclear grade steel for use at China’s Fuqing, Sanmen and Haiyang nuclear power projects. It is the first time that nuclear grade steel has been domestically made in China, and means that the county will no longer need to rely on imports.
Steel is used in nuclear power plants for conventional island equipment and nuclear island equipment.
Hebei has supplied steel for the conventional island at Ling Ao nuclear power plant. Ling Ao 3, the country’s first CPR-1000 reactor, recently started commercial operation in September 2010.
However, steel plate for the nuclear island has to meet stringent quality and technical requirements and is difficult to produce. Up until now Hebei says that China has had to rely on expensive imports of nuclear grade steel.
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