Construction of the domestic Hualong One unit began in 2021
Cold hydraulic testing has been completed for Unit 3 of the Changjiang nuclear power station in Hainan province, southern China, the China Nuclear Energy Association (CNEA) said.
Cold testing verifies that welds, joints, pipes and components in the primary circuit are able to withstand pressures higher than those during normal operation.
It is considered a milestone during a reactor’s pre-operational commissioning phase.
Changjiang-3 is a domestic Hualong One, or HPR1000, pressurised water reactor (PWR) unit with a gross design capacity of 1,200 MW. Construction began in March 2021.
Two CNP-600 PWRs have been in operation at the Changjiang site since 2015 and 2016.
A fourth unit, the Changjiang-4 Hualong One, has been under construction since December 2021.
According to data from the International Atomic Energy Agency, there are 18 Hualong One reactor units either under construction or in operation in China.
The CNEA said the construction of Changjiang-3 was the first nuclear new-build under China’s 14th Five-Year Plan.
The plan aims at increasing installed reactor capacity to 70 GW (gross) by 2025 from about 55 GW today.
According to various reports, China has started the construction of 18 new reactor units under the plan.
