Candu Energy Inc., part of AtkinsRéalis, has entered into an agreement to support the ongoing 30-year life extension of the two CANDU reactors at China’s Qinshan Nuclear Generating Station.
The agreement, with Third Qinshan Nuclear Power Company Limited (TQNPC), will see AtkinsRéalis provide design, engineering, and procurement services. This includes providing reactor tooling, training of TQNPC staff, and completing the necessary engineering work to enable the prolonged operation of the plant.
Qinshan’s CANDU units began operating between 2002-2003. In 2024, TQNPC reached a milestone of continuous operation for one of the units for 677 days, setting a national record. During this period, the CANDU reactor generated electricity equivalent to 3.5 million tons of coal, achieving more than nine million tons of carbon emissions reduction.1
The reactors are now approaching their scheduled date for component replacement, which will facilitate a further 30 years of operation. The life extension will utilize the latest technological improvements to expedite the project. This contract follows mandates in 2021 and 2022 for pre-project preparatory work, both of which have now been completed on schedule.
As the sole commercial licensee of the Canadian-owned CANDU intellectual property portfolio, AtkinsRéalis has taken a leading role in all CANDU reactor life extension projects to date globally. Commenting, Ian L. Edwards, President and Chief Executive Officer, AtkinsRéalis, said: “We are entering a nuclear market super cycle with significant demand to build new reactors, but also to life extend those already in service.”
