Four units under construction at site in northeast of country
The reactor pressure vessel (RPV) has been installed for Unit 4 of the Xudapu* nuclear power station being built in Liaoning province in northeast China, Russian contractor Atomstroyexport said.
Xudapu-4 will be a pressurised water reactor unit using the Russian VVER-1200 technology. Construction began in May 2022.
The RPV is one of the largest reactor components at a nuclear plant, weighing about 330 tonnes. It is a vessel containing the nuclear reactor coolant, core shroud and the reactor core and fuel.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) data shows four units are under construction at the Xudapu site.
Xudapu-1 and -2 are of the CAP1000 PWR design, a domestic version of the Westinghouse AP1000 design.
Xudapu-3 and -4 are both of the Rosatom-supplied VVER-1200 PWR technology.
China operates four Russia-designed VVER-1000 reactor units at Tianwan in Jiangsu province, eastern China. Two more are under construction at the site.
China has 29 commercial nuclear power plants under construction, more than any other country. Russia is second with four.
* Xudapu is also written in English as Xudabao or Xudabu. The IAEA reactor database uses the official ‘Xudapu’ transcription.
