China and Russia ink deals to build reactors for Tianwan and Xudabao nuclear plants

Russian state nuclear corporation firm Rosatom will construct four VVER-1200 units for the two Chinese plants.

China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and AtomStroyExport, which is the engineering division of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, have signed the executive contracts for the construction of the Tianwan and Xudabao nuclear power plants (NPPs), an announcement by Rosatom revealed.

The contracts comprise of a general contract for two VVER-1200 reactors for units 7 and 8 of the Tianwan NPP, as well as a contract for two VVER-1200 units for units 3 and 4 of the Xudabao NPP. According to a report by the World Nuclear Association, the contract is valued at more than $2.98b (CNY20b).

AtomStroyExport was the general contractor and equipment provider for the Tianwan 1 and 2 AES-91 power plants using the V-428 version of the VVER-1000 reactor, whilst Tianwan units 3 and 4 are both the same version of the VVER-1000 reactor with Siemens-Areva instrumentation and control (I&C) systems, the World Nuclear Association highlighted.

Work at the Xudabao began in 2010 but was suspended following the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. In 2014, the National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA) announced its approval of the site selection for Xudabao units 1 and 2 which are the first two of six AP1000 units which will be housed at the site.

The preparation of the documents was carried out in accordance with the strategic package of agreements signed during Russian president Vladimir Putin’s visit to China in June 2018. “This package defines the major lines to develop cooperation between Russia and China in the nuclear industry for the next decades,” the firm stated.