Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom on 5 June signed the general contract for the construction of units 3&4 at China’s Xudabao nuclear power plant in Liaoning Province.
The documents were signed by representatives of Rosatom’s engineering division Atomstroyexport (ASE JSC) and enterprises of China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). Earlier, in March 2019, a general contract was also signed for the construction of units 7&8 of Tianwan NPP in Jiangsu province. All four units will have Generation 3+ VVER-1200 reactors.
The launch of Xudabao 3 is scheduled for 2027 and Xudabao 4 for 2028. The launch of Tianwan 7 is scheduled for 2026, and Tianwan 8 for 2027. Contracts were drafted under the strategic package of agreements signed in June 2018 during the state visit of President Vladimir Putin to China, which determined the main directions for cooperation between Russia and China in the field of atomic energy for the coming decades.
The Xudabao site was approved for the construction of two Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear power units in 2014, with the option of building four more units. However, these plans appear to have been dropped in favour of Russian reactors. The first phase of the Tianwan nuclear plant (units 1 and 2) was based on a 1992 cooperation agreement between China and Russia. First concrete was poured for Tianwan in October 1999, and the units were commissioned in 2007. The second phase comprised Tianwan 3, launched in 2017, and Tianwan 4, launched in 2018 – all Russian AES-91 VVER-1000 reactor units designed by Gidropress. Phase three (Tianwan 5&6) are Chinese-designed 1080 MWe ACPR1000 scheduled to begin commercial operation by the end of 2021.
