China approves building third stage of Tianwan nuclear station.

20/8 Tass 98

HONG KONG (XIANGGANG), August 20 (Itar-Tass) - The Chinese state
committee for development and reforms approved a plan for building the
third stage of the Tianwan nuclear power station, a major project of
Russian-Chinese cooperation.

The plan provides for building the fifth and sixth power units with a
capacity of 1,000 mWt each. The work will start in October 2010, China
Daily newspaper reports.
The report specifies what reactors are supposed to be installed during
the third stage. However, the newspaper stresses that China now banks on
developing and introducing reactors of the third generation that are
cheaper in manufacturing and consume less fuel per energy unit.
The newspaper notes that nuclear technologies of the second generation
operate at the Tianwan station, eastern China.
"The station will gradually turn into a nuclear complex of the third
generation," a source at the Chinese National Nuclear Corporation told the
paper.
According to the source, the total number of reactors at the station
will be brought to eight. As a result, the total capacity of the plant
will top eight gWt, which will make it one of leading energy complexes in
the country.
The first stage of the Tianwan station, including two power sets
VVER-1000, was put into commercial operation by Russian nuclear
specialists in 2007. In 2008, Moscow and Beijing reached an understanding
of principle on building the third and fourth units of similar capacities
- 1060 mWt each.
"The sides now continue talks on particulars of the agreement," the
Chinese National Nuclear Corporation noted.
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