Russia and China plan to sign a framework agreement on the construction of units 7 and 8 at China’s Tianwan NPP in Jiangsu province before the end of the year, Andrei Lebedev, vice president for South Asia projects at Russia’s Atomstroyexport (ASE) confirmed on 17 August. ASE, part of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, already completed construction of Taiwan units 1 and 2, which began operation in 2007, and is now constructing units 3 and 4 – all with VVER-1000 reactors. Unit 3 is due to begin operation in 2018 and fuel loading for unit 4 is schedudled for mid-2018. Units 5 and 6, with Chinese CNP-1000 PWRs, are also under construction. Lebedev said Russia is also discussion construction of another six-unit NPP 20km away at a separate site in the same province. The plant would have the new Generation 3+ VVER-1200 reactors.
