Fangchenggang‑1: 30th Unit Connected to the Chinese Grid
Fangchenggang-1: 30th Unit Connected to the Chinese Grid
The Fangchenggang Unit 1 reactor was connected to the grid on 25 October 2015, plant operator China General Nuclear (CGN) announced. The Fangchenggang site is located on the Qisha peninsula in Guangxi province, 45 km from the Vietnam border. Criticality of Unit 1 was achieved on 13 October 2015. A total of six reactors are planned for the site, with units 1 and 2 of the CPR-1000 design, units 3 and 4 of the ACP-1000 design (also called Hualong One) and units 5 and 6 to be Westinghouse’s AP1000 design. The Guangxi Investment Group has a 39% share in the Fangchenggang plant, with 61% owned by CGN.
Safety issues with the CPR-1000 design have been raised in recent years, including descriptions of it being obsolete, as it is based on a modified version of the Framatome 900 MW reactors, which were built in France between 1971 and 1987.
The grid connection of Fangchenggang Unit 1 brings to 30 the number of reactors operating in China with a total of 22 reactors under construction.