New Chinese Nuclear Grid Connection in Hongyanhe

On 23 November 2013, the Hongyanhe 2 nuclear reactor located near the city of Dalian, Liaoning province, north-east China, was synchronized to the grid. The Hongyanhe reactor is of the CPR-1000 design, described by the U.S. Government as obsolete in 2010, and as reported in the WNISR, Chinese nuclear officials have described it has not even meeting the safety standards of 2004. According to recent Chinese representation to the IAEA, lessons learned from the Fukushima-Daiichi accident have been incorporated into the follow on reactor to the CPR-1000, the ACPR, but little evidence is offered as to what modifications have been made to the CPR. Eighteen CPRs remain under construction in China, in addition to Hongyanhe 2, construction of which began in May 2008.

Hongyanhe nuclear power plant is operated by the Liaoning Hongyanhe Nuclear Power Co. Ltd, which was established in 2006 by the China Guangdong Nuclear Power Co. Ltd., CPI Nuclear Power Co. Ltd. and Dalian Construction Investment Company. A further two CPR reactors are under construction at Hongyanhe, with commercial operation scheduled for 2015. The follow on to this Hongyanhe Phase I will be the construction of two ACPRs under Phase II.