New Ling Ao II unit enters into service
27 September 2010
Unit 1 of the second phase of the Ling Ao nuclear power plant in Guangdong province, China, has entered commercial operation, China Guangdong Nuclear Power Company (CGNPC) announced.
.jpg "Lingao Phase II (L-3 MAPPS)") |
| How the Ling Ao Phase II units could look (Image: L-3 MAPPS) |
The reactor - a 1080 MWe Chinese-design CPR-1000 reactor - entered into commercial operation on 20 September, the company said. A ceremony was held in Beijing to mark the milestone.
The reactor - the first CPR-1000 to be built - becomes the 12th nuclear reactor to supply power to China and takes total generating capacity close to 10 GWe.
The first of 157 fuel assemblies was loaded into the reactor on 21 April after state approval for the operation to begin. The unit achieved first criticality on 9 June and was connected to the grid on 15 July. By 15 September, Ling Ao Phase II unit 1 had successfully completed 168 hours of trial operation, with an average capacity factor of over 92%. The unit was required to successfully run for such time before CGNPC could apply for approval to enter full operation.
The main structural work on Phase II of the Ling Ao plant started in December 2005. Phase II consists of two 1080 MWe Chinese-design CPR-1000 reactors, based on earlier Areva models. In accordance with the national objectives of "self-reliance in design, manufacturing, construction and operation", the project management, engineering, equipment manufacture and surveillance, construction and technical services are undertaken by the local Chinese organizations with the equipment localization rate exceeding 50% for unit 1 and 70% for unit 2, respectively. Unit 2 of Ling Ao Phase II is due to begin operating in 2011.
Ling Ao Phase I was constructed adjacent to the two standard three-loop French pressurized water reactors (PWRs) at Daya Bay, which began operating in February and May 1994. The Ling Ao Phase I reactors are virtually replicas of those at Daya Bay. Construction started in May 1997 and Ling Ao 1 entered commercial operation in May 2002, while Ling Ao 2 began commercial operation in January 2003. The two Ling Ao reactors use French technology supplied by Framatome, now Areva, but with 30% localisation. They are now designated CPR-1000.
Daya Bay and Ling Ao together comprise the 'Daya Bay nuclear power base' under the common management of Daya Bay Nuclear Power Operations and Management Co (DNMC), part of CGNPC. Most of the output from the reactors at Daya Bay and Ling Ao is transmitted to Hong Kong.
Researched and written
by World Nuclear News