Installation of the dome for unit 4 of the Tianwan nuclear plant in China’s Jiangsu province was completed ahead of schedule on 26 September marking the end of the civil construction phase at the project, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) said. Equipment installation will now begin.
Tianwan 4 is the second of two AES-91 VVER-1000 units designed by Gidropress, a subsidiary of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom. Two similar units that have been in commercial operation at the in Jiangsu site since 2007. Rosatom subsidiary Atomstroyexport is the main contractor for units 3&4, supplying the nuclear island. Construction of unit 3 began in December 2012, and of unit 4 in September 2014. The units are expected to start operation in 2016 and 2017, respectively.
Lifting the dome into place took less than two hours, based on experience gained at unit 3. Innovations to the lifting process resulted in overall time savings of nearly two months compared with similar work at Tianwan 1&2, CNNC said.
Russia’s Atomenergomash has completed delivery of all four steam generators for unit 4. The holding said the fourth steam generator was shipped from the production site of ZiO-Podolsk on 23 September. Steam generators manufactured by ZiO-Podolsk for units 1 and 2 were supplied in 2002 and have been in operation since 2007. In 2014 the company manufactured and supplied the four steam generators for unit 3. The steam generator PGV-1000M is classified as super oversize freight and is delivered to the plant by rail, waterway and road. Russia’s Incotec Cargo is contracted by Atomstroyexport to organise the shipments. In 2013-25 the company shipped some 8700 tons of equipment to Tianwan 3 and 4.
Preparations are now underway for the pouring of first safety-related concrete for units 5&6 according to China Nuclear Industry Huaxing Construction Company, a subsidiary of China Nuclear Engineering Corporation. First concrete for unit 5 is scheduled for 30 November. China had planned to use M310+ versions of its CPR-1000 reactor design at Tianwan 5&6. However, Russia is hoping that this could be changed to Russian design reactors.
Viktor Godin, head of Rosatom’s department in China said on 28 September that Russia had offered to supply technology for the units, Tass reported. "The 5th and 6th units have been frozen for more than four years already after Fukushima. We are offering to finish them together with our Chinese colleagues, using more advanced reactors," Godin said. He noted that CNNC had invested funds into construction the units. China "probably has to make a decision on what is best – to finish construction by themselves, if they have reliable third generation technologies…or to continue cooperation with us, with technologies that our Chinese colleagues know very well," he said. "We will see what decision China will make."
