China's debut Westinghouse reactor delayed until June 2017 - exec

CNNC International

09/03/2016 03:07

BEIJING, March 9 (Reuters) - The world's first Westinghouse 
AP1000 nuclear reactor will go into operation in June next year, 
more than three years behind the original schedule, the head of 
China's leading state nuclear project developer said. 
    "We are forecasting that if everything goes smoothly, the 
first unit will go into operation in June 2017, and the second 
unit at the end of 2017," said Sun Qin, the chairman of the 
China National Nuclear Corporation, speaking to Reuters on the 
sidelines of the annual session of parliament.   
    "Construction has been delayed three years. At first we 
planned on December 2013 but there was just no way, with key 
pieces of equipment not available," he said. 
    The "third-generation" reactor, designed by the U.S.-based 
Westinghouse, has been plagued by delays brought about by design 
flaws and problems with key components. Sun said new coolant 
pumps for the two reactor units only arrived at the end of last 
year. 
    Westinghouse is a unit of Japan's Toshiba Corp  6502.T . 
    A rival third-generation design, the European Pressurised 
Reactor (EPR), has faced similar problems, with projects in 
France, Finland and China all delayed. 
    But Sun said he was hopeful that China's own 
third-generation model, known as the Hualong 1, will progress 
more smoothly. 
    China's first Hualong 1 reactor unit, under construction at 
Fuqing in southeast China's Fujian province, is expected to be 
completed by around June 2016, he said. 
    China has also started construction on an identical Hualong 
1 unit in Pakistan.     
      
 
 (Reporting by David Stanway and Kathy Chen; Editing by Richard 
Pullin) 
 ((david.stanway@thomsonreuters.com; +86 10 6627 1289; Reuters 
Messaging: david.stanway.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)) 
 
Keywords: CHINA PARLIAMENT/NUCLEAR