Completion of Power start-up of Tianwan NPP Unit №3 (China)

30.12.2017
The power start-up of Unit 3 of Tianwan NPP was completed on30 of December 2017 at13.:29. Tianwan NPP (TNPP) is being built in China based on a Russian VVER-1000 design. The second stage of TNPP’s construction (including that of Unit 3) was undertaken with the ASE Group (Rosatom engineering division). Unit 3 provided the first KW to China’s grid. Upon permission from the Chinese regulator, the reactor unit of power unit №3 was turned on at 25% of its capacity, after which the turbine was brought into operation and electrical tests of the field and power delivery systems were carried out. Power unit №3 was, thereby, connected to the grid. All systems performed in normal operational mode. “The power start-up of the third unit of the Tianwan NPP is an event of worldwide importance and the next stage in strengthening Russian-Chinese cooperation. Construction of the third and fourth power units of the Tianwan NPP are being implemented in record-breaking time and can be considered examples of excellent international cooperation in the energy field. We wholeheartedly welcome our Chinese partners’ initiatives in developing peaceful nuclear technologies and will be happy to provide support in the implementation of new projects,” said Kirill Komarov, Rosatom’s First Deputy Director General for Corporate Development and International Business. The next step will involve resting the reactor at a power level of 200 MW. After that, dynamic tests will be carried out at 50%, 75% and 100% of full capacity. Upon successful completion of initial testing at 100% thermal capacity, demonstration testing will proceed at nominal capacity for 100 hours, after which preliminary acceptance procedures will ensue. Preliminary acceptance is the starting point of a two-year warranty period for the operation of the third power unit of China’s Tianwan NPP. “The third power unit’s start-up is being carried out five years after the start of construction,” said ASE Group President Valery Limarenko, adding that the construction of the third and fourth power units was going ahead of schedule. “Today, we witness the most important event in the construction of the second stage of the Tianwan NPP – the start-up of power unit №3. TNPP is one of the Russia’s and China’s best projects. It gives us the right to talk about the start of the mass implementation of Rosatom projects and confirms the leading position held by Russian technology in the global NPP construction market. The first two units of the Tianwan NPP, which were built by Rosatom in cooperation with our Chinese colleagues, have already proven their effectiveness and safety. We are sure that the units built during the second stage of Tianwan NPP construction will work just as efficiently and reliably.” Notes to the editor: Tianwan NPP is constructed on the base of the Russian design AES-91 project with VVER-1000 reactor that is fully compliant with the requirements of modern regulatory and technical documentation of the Russian Federation, China and IAEA. The construction of Tianwan NPP is performed by Jiangsu Nuclear Power Corporation (JNPC) jointly with Russian company Atomstroyexport, which is referred to АSE Group. Tianwan NPP is the largest object of the Russian-Chinese economic cooperation. The start-up of the power units №1 and №2 of Tianwan NPP took place in 2007. Every year power units №1 and №2 of Tianwan NPP generate more than 15 bln kW/hour of electric power. The commencement of commercial operation of power unit №3 of Tianwan NPP is planned for 2018. Cooperation on the construction of power units №3 and №4 of Tianwan NPP is being performed under the Protocol between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the People’s Republic of China on cooperation in the construction of power units №3 and №4 of Tianwan NPP in China, signed on 6th of December 2012.