China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) installed a pressure vessel into the Fuqing unit 5, the first (HPR) Hualong Pressurized Reactor 1000 on Sunday, Jan. 28, according to the company on Tuesday.
This installation marked the start of the unit's all-round installation phase of critical components, CNNC announced.
"The pressure vessel is not only the core device of the HPR 1000 reactors, but also the key part of China’s third-generation nuclear power reactors, which were independently developed and produced by domestic research teams," the company said.
The HPR 1000 pressure vessel has been manufactured to the latest standards compared to the second-generation advanced nuclear units, the company explained.
The Nuclear Power Institute of China, a subsidiary of CNNC, designed the HPR 1000 pressure vessel, which was manufactured by China First Heavy Industries.
China currently has 38 nuclear power reactors in operation and about 20 under construction, according to the World Nuclear Association (WNA).
China has become largely self-sufficient in reactor design and construction, as well as in other aspects of the fuel cycle, but is making full use of western technology while adapting and improving it, according to the WNA .
By Huseyin Erdogan
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr
