Westinghouse readies nuclear fuel for Sanmen Unit 1

Westinghouse has completed preparatory work on fuel be used at Sanmen Unit 1, located in the Zhejiang Province of China.

The fuel ios for the company's AP1000™ nuclear power plants and has manufactured the first four fuel assemblies at the company's Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility in South Carolina.  

The AP1000 pressurized water reactor fuel design uses proven "Robust Fuel Assembly™" technology, which is already in widespread use in Westinghouse-designed plants.  The AP1000 fuel incorporates features to better protect the fuel from coolant debris, improve seismic performance and deliver highly efficient operational performance.

Westinghouse Nuclear Fuel Senior Vice President Joe Belechak said, "Completion of this milestone is a significant achievement for Westinghouse. The AP1000 PWR fuel design is based on our objective to provide customers with high-performing, flawless fuel. The fuel is fabricated using the Westinghouse Manufacturing System, a robust process that combines best practices from the nuclear and manufacturing industries into an integrated system."

Sanmen is the site of two Westinghouse AP1000 PWR units that are being built under a contract signed in 2007 for four AP1000 PWRs.  Two other AP1000 PWRs are currently under construction at Haiyang, China.  The first of the four units, Sanmen Unit 1, is on schedule to come online in 2013, with each unit thereafter subsequently coming online approximately six months later.  Additionally, Westinghouse and China are currently in discussion on plans for more AP1000 units to be sited inland of China's coastal areas. 

The Sanmen and Haiyang sites have been designated for six AP1000 units each and three further multi-unit sites at Xianning, Taohuajiang and Pengze have been prepared in China.