Construction starts on second Hainan reactor

Construction at the second unit of the Changjiang nuclear power plant in the province of Hainan has officially started.

The first tank of concrete was poured into the foundations of Unit 2 of the Changjiang plant during a ceremony attended by national and regional dignitaries and company representatives.

The Changjiang plant, near Hoi Mei Tong village, is being built as a joint venture between CNNC and China Huaneng Group or CHNG. CHNG holds a 49 per cent share in Hainan Nuclear Power Co Ltd, with CNNC holding the remaining 51 per cent. The Changjiang plant will eventually comprise four 650 MWe CNP-600 pressurized water reactors and will be built in two phases.
 The second phase of the Qinshan nuclear power plant in Zhejiang province, which also comprises two CNP-600 units, is being used as the reference plant for the first two units at Changjiang.
The total cost of the first two units is put at some US$3 billion. More than 70 per cent of the equipment for the Changjiang plant is to be made in China.
 According to CNNC, the construction of the nuclear power reactors on Hainan will reduce the province's consumption of coal by more than 300 million tonnes annually.