China approved the construction of new nuclear reactors after a long pause.

The Chinese government approved the construction of four new nuclear reactors for a Chinese design project. In the case of confirmation (Chinese companies have not commented on such news yet) of the Chinese Hualong One reactor will put an end to more than two-year interruption in the issuance of licenses.

The reactors are planning to build on two new sites along the coast of China: the CNNC energy project in Zhangzhou in Fujian and the CGN Huizhou Taipingling project in Guangdong. Both sites were planned and approved by the Chinese authorities for the use of Westinghouse type AP1000 reactors. These reactors are characterized by better safety – in particular, a passive cooling system, it accumulates water above the reactor, using gravity, to maintain the cooling of the installation in the case of a pump failure.

The first Westinghouse AP1000 reactor began operating in China two years ago, four years after the approved schedule due to delays in construction. Prior to this, the operators of nuclear power plants in South Carolina refused to complete the two partially built AP1000 reactors after they invested $9 billion.

Now, instead of the problematic “foreign” project, the Chinese authorities decided to use their own innovations. CNNC began building the first Hualong One reactor in 2015 at its Fuqing power plant and plans to launch it this year.

Restarting of nuclear reactors of any design in China would be a breakthrough for technology around the world, since China recently became the largest investor in the nuclear power engineering. In China, and not only there, nuclear power plants are considered the most important low-carbon energy source for reducing emissions.

 In 2018, 7 new nuclear reactors with an installed capacity of 8.84 GW were commissioned in China.

Source: hightech.fm

Tags: NPP, electricity

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