Express route for Chinese nuclear

03 September 2009

Hunan and Jiangxi provinces will have new nuclear power plants after recent agreements made by China National Nuclear Company (CNNC). A roadbuilding company is a partner in one of these.

 

First came a framework agreement with the city of Hengyang, Hunan Province on 24 August for a nuclear power plant which could start construction in 2010 or 2011. About a week later another project was started with the signing of a co-investment agreement towards a power plant in Jiangxi province provisionally named Wanan Yianjiashan.
 
Yu Jianfeng, deputy general manager of CNNC, said that the company was actively planning to use its resources to accelerate the Hengyang project. Wen-Xiong Zhang of the Hengyang City Party Committee said that the city government's attitude towards the development of nuclear power is 'very seriously, very seriously, very sincere.' He said that the city would 'wholeheartedly' cooperate with CNNC to advance preliminary work for the plant.

 

There are currently two candidate sites near Hengyang under consideration for hosting the nuclear power plant, according to a recent XXCB report. One is at Changning City and the other is in Hengdong county. Representatives from China Guodian Corp, Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research and Design Institute and Hunan Electric Power Design Institute have visited Hengyang to investigate the sites, the report added.

 

Highway star 

 

The project in inland Jiangxi province is less well advanced, but a deal was signed on 30 August to set up a joint venture office to prepare for the power plant. It will be jointly owned by CNNC (51%) with the remainder split between Jiangxi province and Jiangxi Provincial Expressway Company. The latter two firms are to decide their relative stakes in the 49% they will share after advice from the Jiangxi Province Reform Commission Energy Agency.

 

Both the projects would be the second in their provinces. CNNC's Taohuajiang nuclear power plant at Xiaochetang Village near Yueyang is expected to start construction at the end of 2010 or 2011. A twin-AP1000 plant is proposed in for Pengze in Jiangxi.