China’s State Council on Wednesday approved the construction of two more nuclear units at each of the Tianwan and Fangchenggang nuclear power plant sites, World Nuclear News reported.
The council gave its approval for units 5 and 6 of the Tianwan nuclear power plant in Jiangsu Province. Capacity for each unit will be 1,080 megawatts (MW) and will be 50% owned by China National Nuclear Corp. (CNNC), 30% by China Power Investment and 20% by Jiangsu Guoxin Asset Management Group.
The council also approved the construction of units 3 and 4 of the Fangchenggang plant in Guangxi Province. These units are owned 61% by China General Nuclear (CGN) and 39% by Guangxi Investment Group, Kallanish Energy learns.
Construction of Tianwan 5 and 6 was originally scheduled to start in early 2011. However, following the March 2011 accident at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi plant, the Chinese government suspended the approval of new nuclear power projects. The Tianwan Phase III units were among those suspended.
Tianwan Phase I units 1 and 2, was constructed under a 1992 cooperation agreement between China and Russia. The first concrete was poured in October 1999, and the units were commissioned in June 2007 and September 2007, respectively.
Tianwan Phase II – units 3 and 4 – will be similar to the first stage of the Tianwan plant, comprising two Russian-designed pressurized water reactors. First concrete for unit 3 was poured in December 2012, while construction of the fourth unit began in September 2013.
Construction of the first two units at the Fangchenggang plant began in July 2010. The loading of fuel into the core of unit 1 was completed on Sept. 6 of this year. It was connected to the grid on Oct. 25.gxi Province
A total of six reactors are planned for the Fangchenggang site.
