Emergency core cooling system tank shipped for Xudabao 4

Monday, 9 June 2025

The emergency core cooling system tank is a thick-walled high-pressure vessel about three metres in diameter and will be filled with an aqueous solution of boric acid which would be automatically fed into the reactor to cool the active zone in the event of a pressure drop in the primary circuit.

Each unit's emergency core cooling safety system includes four of the tanks, with the fourth and final one for unit 4 to be shipped during June.

The background

In June 2018, Russia and China signed four agreements, including for the construction of two VVER-1200 reactors at the new Xudabao (also known as Xudapu) site in China's Liaoning province. Agreements signed in June 2019 included a general contract for the construction of Xudabao units 3 and 4, as well as a contract for the supply of nuclear fuel.

Construction of Xudabao unit 3 began in July 2021, with that of unit 4 starting in May 2022. Commissioning of the units is scheduled for 2027 and 2028, respectively.

When completed, the two units are expected to generate more than 18 billion kWh of electricity per year, equivalent to saving about 6.4 million tonnes of coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by about 18.9 million tonnes per year.

The Xudabao plant is owned by Liaoning Nuclear Power Company Limited, a joint venture between China National Nuclear Corporation (70%), Datang International Power Generation Company (20%) and State Development and Investment Corporation (10%).

What they said

The head of the Rosatom Machine-Building Division, Igor Kotov, said: "Rosatom's machine builders have now manufactured 95% of the contracted equipment for the four new power units being built at the Tianwan and Xudapu nuclear power plants. In particular, main circulation pipelines, main circulation pump housings, equipment for safety systems and much, much more have been shipped from Petrozvodskmash. By the end of 2025, the manufacture of all products involved in the operation of the nuclear island will be completed."

Deputy Director General of the Rosatom State Corporation for Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Solutions, Andrey Nikipelov, said: "Petrozavodskmash produces equipment that is unique for the industry and participates in all Rosatom projects for the construction of nuclear power plants. In the coming years, the company will have a lot more work."

Artur Parfenchikov, the head of the Republic of Karelia in northwest Russia where the plant is located, said: "Petrozavodskmash makes a great contribution to the economy and industrial development of Karelia ... and in this anniversary year, we honour the veterans of the plant, talk about achievements ... it creates new jobs, increases the tax base of our budget ... [and] is an interesting and promising place to work for our Karelian youth."