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3rd-generation nuclear power plant to debut in 2013

(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-03-22 14:40

A nuclear power plant based on the third-generation AP1000 technology, developed by the US-based Westinghouse Co, is set to begin generating electricity in Sanmen, Zhejiang province, in 2013, the Beijing Times reported Monday.

It will be the first third-generation AP1000 nuclear power station in the world, which will be put into use "two and a half years ahead of the US", the newspaper said, citing Lin Chengge, an expert with the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

Wang Binghua, chairman of the State Nuclear Power Technology Corp (SNPTC), told the paper that Chinese and American technicians would cooperate to ensure "absolutely safe and reliable reactors". SNPTC is responsible for the development of third-generation nuclear power technology in China.

Cooperation between SNPTC and Westinghouse started three years ago. Under a deal signed in 2007, SNPTC will use AP1000 technology to build four coastal nuclear power reactors - two in Sanmen and two in Haiyang of Shandong province.

The overall design of the Sanmen-based nuclear power plant, together with key system and equipment designs, was finished in December 2008, and construction of the reactor started last year, when another two projects were kicked off. The Sanmen project is now progressing smoothly, according to the report.