China Issues First Nuclear Power Construction Permit

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA) of China officially issued the Construction Permit for Huaneng Shandong Shidao Bay High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor Demonstrative Nuclear Power Station on December 4, 2012. This is the first nuclear power construction permit issued by the Chinese Government after about two years of suspension in approval of nuclear power project.

Huaneng Shandong Shidao Bay Demonstrative Nuclear Power Station is located at the coastal of Shidao Bay in Rongcheng, Weihai City of North China's Shandong Province. As the first module-based high temperature gas cooled reactor in the world, the project will be furnished with one 211 megawatt (MW) nuclear power unit based on the 10-MW experimental reactor developed in the nation's key technology research and development program.

The project is designed by Tsinghua University and is to be built and operated by Huaneng Shandong Shidao Bay Nuclear Power Company Limited (Weihai, Shandong), a joint venture of China Huaneng Group (Beijing) (47.5%), China Nuclear Engineering Construction Corporation (Beijing) (32.5%) and Tsinghua University (20%). Prior to receiving the construction permit, the project received final approval from the National Development and Reform Commission on December 3, 2012.

The project is originally planned to begin operation in 2015. However, due to the impact that the Fukushima crisis had on the nuclear power plant in March 2011, the Chinese Government immediately suspended the approval of all new nuclear power projects.

After receiving the construction permit from the NNSA, concrete placement for the first layer of soleplate in the nuclear island of the project had been kicked off on December 9, 2012 and completed on December 21, 2012. According to the latest schedule, the project is expected to begin operation by the end of 2017.

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