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

CNNC International

09/03/2016 07:45

* Much-delayed AP1000 to be completed next year 
    * Domestic installed capacity likely at 53 GW by 2020 
 
 (Adds quotes, details on overseas deals) 
    By David Stanway and Kathy Chen 
    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.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL3N162288  
    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 unit is under construction 
at Fuqing in southeast China's Fujian province and is expected 
to be completed by around June 2020, he said. 
    China has also started construction on an identical Hualong 
1 unit in Pakistan and is waiting on Argentina to ratify another 
Hualong 1 deal. 
    CNNC's rival, China General Nuclear, signed a deal with 
France's EDF  EDF.PA  to take a 6 billion pound ($8.5 billion) 
stake in a project to build two EPRs at Hinkley Point in Britain 
last year, with the understanding that a third unit would be a 
Hualong 1 and the state-owned French firm would help China gain 
approval for the model in Britain.        
    Sun said that he remained confident about the construction 
of the 18 billion pound project, despite financing problems 
facing EDF, but Britain's first Hualong 1 would face delays.  
    China is in the middle of an ambitious nuclear reactor 
building programme at home and aims to have completed 58 
gigawatts (GW) of installed capacity with another 30 GW under 
construction by the end of 2020.  
    "Looking at it now, with approvals stopped for around three 
years after Fukushima, we should have around 53 gigawatts in 
operation by 2020 with 38 to 40 gigawatts under construction, so 
the overall target should be no problem," Sun said.   
     China's total nuclear capacity reached 28.3 GW by the end 
of 2015, with 30 units in operation and another 24 under 
construction, the government said in January.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL3N15B299 
 
($1 = 0.7050 pounds) 
 
 (Reporting by David Stanway and Kathy Chen; Editing by Richard 
Pullin and Christian Schmollinger) 
 ((david.stanway@thomsonreuters.com; +86 10 6627 1289; Reuters 
Messaging: david.stanway.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)) 
 
Keywords: CHINA PARLIAMENT/NUCLEAR