POWER November 2010 - 8

Russia Powers On, Boosting Nuclear
Reactor Sales
Atomstroyexport, the Russian Federation's nuclear power equipment
and services export monopoly, in September signed a
US$1.8 billion contract with the Chinese government for development
of the second stage of the Tianwan nuclear power
plant in Lianyungang City. Under the agreement, Units 3 and
4 are to be built in a way similar to construction of the first
stage of Tianwan-two Russian-designed VVER-1000 reactors
that came online in 2007, each with a rated capacity of 1,060
MW (Figure 1).
The agreement is important on several fronts, key among them
that Atomstroyexport plans to build the reactors in cooperation
with a Chinese supplier of low-speed turbines. According to the
subsidiary of Russian state-owned corporation Rosatom, " the
practice of Russian-Chinese cooperation has good prospects for
replication " in other-mostly developing-countries.
Both countries are already heavily involved in reactor construction.
China, on Sept. 29, officially began work on the nuclear island
at Nindge 4-the country's 24th project under way-using
domestically forged equipment and services: Nearly 85% of the
CPR-1000's reactor's parts will reportedly come from Chinese suppliers.
Rosatom, meanwhile, is building 15 reactors, five of which
are outside Russia, and it is aggressively bidding for nuclear power
projects around the globe (see " Russia's Nuclear Mission, " in
POWER's August 2010 issue).
More recently, it garnered nuclear cooperation agreements
with Kuwait. And, according to Rosatom's Chief Executive Officer
Sergei Kiriyenko, the company may soon sign a contract
with Vietnam for two reactors, and it expects to win a tender for
Jordan's first nuclear plant. Rosatom also is vying for a tender to
build four reactors in the Czech Republic, and it is preparing to
start work on the Belene plant in Bulgaria, he said.
Kiriyenko recently told reporters that the nuclear holding company
plans to boost sales from the current $15 billion to $50
1. Splitting atomic sales. Russia and China signed an agreement
in September to build the second phase of the Tianwan nuclear
power plant in Lianyungang City (shown here). Russia designed the
first phase of that project-two VVER-1000 reactors rated at 1,060
MW that came online in 2007. The partnership could result in more
projects around the world. In a bid to boost energy exports, Russia has
more than a dozen reactors under construction worldwide, and it is aggressively
bidding for nuclear power projects in the Middle East, Eastern
Europe, India, and Southeast Asia. China, meanwhile, has begun a
construction frenzy of domestic nuclear power plants, with 24 already
under way at the end of September. Courtesy: Atomstroyexport
billion by 2030, the bulk of which will be from developing countries.
As Bloomberg Businessweek reported recently, this could
be because Russia offers a competitive price to build new reactors:
Citing the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development,
the magazine said a 1,000-MW plant in Russia costs
US$2.9 billion on average (exclusive of financing).
China Begins Operation of First CPR-1000
The first unit of Ling Ao phase II (Unit 3) in Guangdong Province,
China, entered commercial operation in late September. The
1,080-MW reactor is the first CPR-1000-a Chinese design-to
be built, and its start-up marks a major milestone in the country's
concerted nuclear power expansion.
Construction kicked off in 2005, and the unit-China's 12th
reactor-began operation earlier than scheduled (Figure 2). With
the first of 157 fuel assemblies loaded into the reactor this April,
the unit achieved first criticality in June and was connected to
the grid in July. By this September, the unit had completed 168
hours of trial operation with an average capacity factor of 92%.
Work on the second unit of phase II (Unit 4) is reportedly in full
swing, and that unit is expected to come online in 2011. Once
operational, Ling Ao phase II is expected to become the largest
nuclear power plant in Guangdong, China's most populous-and
most prosperous-province.
The unit features a turbine generator package from Alstom,
built in partnership with China's Dongfang Electric Corp. (DECL),
for its owner, China Guangdong Nuclear Power Co. (CGNPC). Developed
in accordance with a national " self-reliance " policy,
however, the bulk of the project's management, engineering,
surveillance, and construction services were locally sourced, and
more than 50% of its equipment was manufactured domestically.
More than 70% of Unit 4's components will be made in China.
The CPR-1000 is an " improved Chinese pressurized water reactor "
technology based on an AREVA-derived three-loop design.
2. Keeping the home fires burning. China in September officially
started operations at the first unit of Ling Ao phase II (Unit 3). The
first of many planned CPR-1000s, the 1,080-MW reactor reportedly
cost under 10,000 yuan per kilowatt (US$1,500). In accordance with
China's " self-reliance " policies, more than 50% of its equipment was
locally sourced. Courtesy: Alstom
8
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POWER November 2010

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