The China National Nuclear Corporation said Monday that the most recent reactor in China to reach its first sustained fission reaction, the No. 2 unit at the Changjiang nuclear power plant had been synced to the electricity grid.
The reactor, the second of four planned for the Changjiang site, is a 650 MWe CNP-600 pressurized water reactor (PWR) that first achieved criticality on June 9. According to the World Nuclear Association, the reactor was fully loaded with 121 fuel assemblies on May 12. It was connected to the grid on June 20 at 4:01 a.m., according to their report.
The next milestone expected will be having the plant enter commercial operations, which is generally done after the generation components – turbines, pumps, generators, etc – are fully tested. Entering commercial operations is expected by August.
Construction of Changjiang Unit 2 began on 21 November 2010 with the first concrete work commencing on that day. The first pour was begun seven months after the first pour for Changjiang Unit 1, which reached first criticality in October 2015, about seven months ahead of Unit 2.
The plant is located near the Hoi Mei Tong village in the Hainan Province, an island province that is China's most southern and smallest province. The first two units at the plant are expected to provide the province with one third of its electricity needs.
The plant is a joint project between China National Nuclear Corporation (51 percent owner) and China Huaneng Group, which controls 49 percent.