Safety-related concrete has been poured for the first of two 1250 MWe CAP1000 reactors at the Lianjiang nuclear power plant in China’s Guangdong province, according to State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC), which oversees construction.
Construction on the first CAP1000 unit began at the end of the previous month, indicating China’s focus on expanding its energy portfolio. CAP1000 is an adaptation of the Westinghouse AP1000 pressurized water reactor nuclear plant. It was approved by China’s State Council in September 2022.
“Among the four units approved in the same period, it was the first to achieve FCD [first concrete pouring], and set a record for the shortest FCD process among units of the same type,” the company said.
The Lianjiang project extends beyond the current phase, with plans for four additional CAP1000 plants in its second phase. Notably, the Lianjiang plant will be the first nuclear power project in China to adopt seawater secondary circulation cooling technology.
Upon completion of all 6 units, annual power generation is anticipated to reach a significant 70.2 TWh.
This initiative aligns with China’s 14th Five-Year Plan, which sees the country aiming to reach 70 GW of installed nuclear capacity by 2025, a substantial increase from the 51 GW recorded at the end of 2020.
