A new stage in the construction work on the EPR in China: completion of the installation of the heavy components at Taishan 1

During her visit today to the Taishan nuclear site (in Guangdong province), Mrs Nicole Bricq, the French Minister for Foreign Trade, accompanied by Luc Oursel, Chairman of AREVA’s Executive Board, and Henri Proglio, Chairman and CEO of EDF, was able to see for herself the progress made in the construction work on the two EPR reactors in China, carried out by the owner and future operator of the site, the Taishan Nuclear Power Joint Venture Company (TNPJVC), a 30% stake in which belongs to EDF, and the rest to CGNPC.

The building site for the 1^st reactor has entered a significant new stage with the completion of the work installing the reactor vessel and the installation of four steam generators and the pressurizer inside the reactor building.

The two EPR reactors currently being built in Taishan are benefiting from the lessons learned at EPR reactor sites in Finland and France; the welding work on the primary circuit⁽¹⁾ was completed 30% quicker than at the Olkiluoto 3 site.

It is also thanks to the relationships forged since the start of the project with the Flamanville 3 site, and the way that French and Chinese skills have complemented each other, that the time between the first concrete being poured and the installation of the dome was cut to just 24 months.

Before the installation phase, the lessons learned from experience also helped to reduce the time taken to build the four steam generators, in France by 40% compared to those having been built for other EPR reactors, making the French nuclear industry more competitive.

At the end of the tour of the site, Luc Oursel announced: “The completion of the installation of the heavy components is a major step forward in the construction of the first EPR reactor in China. Completed in just 38 months from the time the first concrete was poured, this shows that the work is being done in excellent conditions, and that it is benefiting from the experience that we have gained at other EPR sites as well as the quality of the partnership with CGNPC. I am delighted that the Minister has been able to see the progress of the construction work.”

Henri Proglio announced: “The installation of the heavy components at Taishan reactor no. 1 demonstrates the extent to which 2012 was a year full of major progress for the EPR site in China. Of course we owe this to the balanced collaboration between the French and the Chinese”.

⁽¹⁾ The primary circuit of the EPR reactor is made up of 4 identical loops connected to the vessel, each one including a steam generator, a pump and the associated pipes.