China Nuclear Power Situation and

Development

WU Zongxin

INET ， Tsinghua University

The Police of Nuclear Energy

Since 2004, China government has changed the police of nuclear development from “moderate” to “ active”

Nuclear Power in China

9 NPP in operation and I NPP in commissioning, total 7.6 GW installed capacity

52.3 billion kWh - 2.1% of total power generation

Accept 2 units of CANDU PHWR type, others PWR type

Existing Nuclear Power Plants in China

Units Type Net capacity (each)

Start up

Daya Bay-1 & 2 PWR 944 MWe 1994

Qinshan-1 PWR 279 MWe April 1994

Qinshan-2 & 3 PWR 610 MWe 2004

Lingao-1 & 2 PWR 935 MWe 2003

Qinshan-4 & 5 PHWR 665 MWe 2003

Tianwan-1 PWR 1000 MWe 2007

total (10)   7587 MWe  

Nuclear Power Plants Under Construction in China

Reactor Type Net capacity Construction start

Start up*

Tianwan-2 PWR 1000 MWe 2000 2007

Lingao-3 PWR 935 MWe 2005 2010

Lingao-4 PWR 935 MWe 2005 2011

Qinshan-6 PWR 610 MWe 2006 2010

Qinshan-7 PWR 610 MWe 2006 2010

Total   4170 MWe

Planning of Nuclear Power Development

The government plans to increase nuclear generating capacity to 40 GWe by 2020 with a further 18 GWe nuclear being under construction then

Requiring an average of 2 GWe per year being added.

Nuclear Power Plants in Plan in China

Plant Province MWe gross

Lingao-2 Guangdong 2x1000

Qinshan-4 Zhejiang 2x650

Sanmen-1 Zhejiang 2x1100/1500

Yangjiang-1 Guangdong 2x1100/1500

Total 8   7700-9300

Open bidding for third-generation designs

In September 2004 the State Council approved the two units at Sanmen, followed by six units at Yangjiang (two to start with), these to be 1000 or 1500 MWe reactors

The Sanmen and Yanjiang plants were subject to an open bidding process for third-generation designs, with contracts being awarded in mid 2006

Westinghouse bid its AP 1000 (which now has US NRC final design approval), Areva NP (Framatome ANP) bid its EPR of 1600 MWe

NPP Technologies

PWRs will be the mainstream but not sole reactor type

Nuclear fuel assemblies are fabricated and supplied indigenously

Domestic manufacturing of plant and equipment will be maximized, with self-reliance in design and project management

International cooperation is nevertheless encouraged

New Nuclear Power Reactor Technology Development

In February 2006 the State Council announced that the large advanced PWR and the small high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTR) are two high priority projects for the next 15 years

In order to master international advanced technology on nuclear power and develop a Chinese third-generation large PWR“

CNNC has confirmed this, while pointing longer-term to fast neutron reactors

National laws

The Atomic Energy Act is a supreme legal document in nuclear field to adjust and promote the atomic energy development in China

The Atomic Energy Act being worked out The Environment Protection Act of the People’s

Republic of China was approved by the National People’s Congress (NPC)

The Radioactive Pollution Prevention Act is a basic law for the radioactive waste management

Nuclear Safety and Wastes Management

To meet the needs of nuclear energy development, independent regulatory authorities and implementation bodies came into being in China’s radioactive waste management system in virtue of years of practices.

The State Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), independent of the nuclear industry, carries out supervision and management on nuclear safety and radiation environment of civilian nuclear facilities： licensing management and routine monitoring

Rules and regulations by governmental departments

Detailed Implementation Rules have been promulgated in succession:

National Regulations on Supervision and Management of Safety of Civilian Nuclear Facilities

Provisions on Safety of Civilian Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities

Provisions on Safety of NPP Radioactive Waste Management

Environmental Policy on Intermediate and Low-level Radioactive Wastes Disposal

Provisions on Radioactive Waste Management

Nuclear Fuel Cycle

China has primarily established a nuclear fuel cycle system covering uranium exploration, mining and milling, conversion, isotope separation, nuclear fuel element manufacture and spent fuel reprocessing.

Establishment of nuclear fuel cycle system

Uranium Resources

At present the uranium resources supply available domestically

With the prospective need to import much more uranium

CNNC is also keen to participate in exploration and mining abroad, and in 2006 bought into a small Australian uranium prospect

Cardinal principles of waste management

Aiming at safety and taking disposal as core; Ensuring exposure received by workers and the

public within the dose limits set by the state, and keeping at the ALARA level when taking into account the economic and social factors;

Protecting later generations, i.e. no extra burdens and responsibilities to be added to later generations, and the protection level of individuals of later generations will not lower than the current level;

Cardinal principles of waste management

Relevant radioactive waste treatment facilities should be designed, constructed and operated simultaneously with facilities or practices producing radioactive wastes

Taking into full consideration the inter-relations between various phases of waste management:

reduction in output categorized collection purification and concentration, volume reduction

and solidification careful encapsulation, safe transportation in-situ interim storage concentrated disposal, controlled discharge

Cardinal principles of waste management

The environmental impact assessment should be conducted prior to any waste management facility or practice.

The discharge amount should be applied for to environment protection agencies.

The amount and concentration of radioactive materials discharged to environment must lower than the discharge limits set by regulatory authorities.

Treatment of L/ILW

L/ILW arising from NPPs will be cement-solidified in 200 L steel barrel or large concrete container

Development of a series of cement formulas, methods to examine the solidification performance, and some cementation apparatuses

Near-surface Disposal of I/LLSW

Near-surface disposal of I/LLSW including cement formula piles and hydraulic fracture disposal

Following the policy of regional disposal of I/LLSW, China has set up several state regional I/LLSW disposal sites where nuclear installations are comparatively concentrated

Near-surface Disposal of I/LLSW

The northwest I/LLSW repository put into operation with planed capacity of the first phase is 5,200,000 m3

The design disposal capacity of Guangdong Beilong repository, closing to the Daya Bay and Ling Ao NPPs in Shenzhen, is 80,000 m3

Repository in Zhejiang in planning

Treatment and Disposal of HLW

Spent fuel storage

Reprocessing

Vitrification of HLLW

Deep geological disposal of HLW

Spent reprocessing Initiate target: recovery of uranium and plutonium fo

r resource conservation Long target: Reprocessing + partitioning → transmutation: remov

e trans-uranium and separate strontium and cesium Improvement of resource utilization Minimizing the radioactive toxic Reducing the waste repository volume Scientific research and test verification carried out f

or a 50 tU spent fuel project A commercial facility put into operation after 2020

Deep geological disposal of HLW

Plan for deep geological disposal of HLW consists of four stages: technical preparedness; geological research; on-site test and construction

Great progress on sitting for repository and underground laboratory, and the feasibility study

Northwest region of China: primarily determined as one of the most likely candidate sites

Two wells as deep as 700 m and 500 m respectively drilled for carrying out multi-disciplinary research

Decommissioning of Nuclear Facilities

Drafting National standard Safety Requirements for Decommissioning of Nuclear Facilities

Carrying out relevant development work Assessment of radioactivity inventory Decontamination Cutting technology Remote operation Smelting Radioactive waste management Health protection and safety

谢 谢！