THE largest joint project ever undertaken between China and Russia, the Tianwan nuclear power station on the shores of the Yellow Sea in Lianyungang in East China’s Jiangsu Province, is now producing power.

It is the nation’s third nuclear generating complex, following those built in Qinshan in Zhejiang and Daya Bay in Guangdong.

At a total investment of about 30 billion yuan, the plant, which has now fired up two reactors, has signed a deal for two more in a second phase and has plans for an additional four after that. The AES-91 pressurised water reactors use technology from Russia. Each has a capacity of 1,060 megawatts (MW).

Construction of the project started in 1999. Jiangsu Nuclear Power Corp operates the facility in which State-owned China National Nuclear Corp holds a 50% stake.

The plant is starting to help meet the voracious appetite for power in Jiangsu, one of the fastest growing and most prosperous regions in China.

“At present the power output of Tianwan accounts for 3% to 4% of the power in Jiangsu,” Jiang Guoyuan, general manager of Jiangsu Nuclear tells China Business Weekly.

“The project has also changed the overall energy structure in Jiangsu. Before Tianwan, the province has no nuclear power, a clean power,” he said.

Jiangsu is now closing down many small highly polluting coal fired power plants and has plans to further develop clean energy sources, including nuclear power, he added.

The two Tianwan reactors use some 50 tonnes of nuclear fuel a year. Coal-fired power plants with the same installed capacity would require 6 million tons of coal.

“It means enormous reduction in emissions. Our statistics show that the Tianwan project will reduce carbon dioxide by 16 million tons a year. It will also reduce waste residue by 400,000 tonnes annually, as well significant amounts of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions,” Jiang said.

The central government has set the target of cutting energy consumption per unit of GDP by 20% and pollutant discharges by 10% from 2006 to 2010.

The government also set a target to increase nuclear power capacity to 40,000 MW by 2020.

Safety is the most important issue for nuclear power plants. Jiang stresses that Tianwan has used the most advanced designs to ensure safe operation. Its reactors have two protective layers, including an internal hermetically sealed cover that prevents radiat ion leakage into the environment, and an external cover to protect it from environmental impact, Wu Xiujiang, deputy general manager of Jiangsu Nuclear tells China Business Weekly.

Fifty-five bundles of steel rope help support the pre-stressed protective layers, which are designed to withstand earthquakes, floods, tornados and storms, he said.

“The reactors were also designed to be protected from falling objects,” said Wu, adding that what makes the Tianwan plant unique globally is a reactor trap that can hold and cool the reactor core in the event of a meltdown. He said: “Tianwan is the first in the world to use it.”

The trap design passed assessments of Russian and Chinese regulators. China is now developing third-generation nuclear power technology through agreements with US-based Westinghouse and the French company Areva to use their latest technologies to build six nuclear reactors. Including Tianwan, the country’s 11 nuclear reactors now in operation have used first- or second-generation technology. Third-generation plants are safer and have longer life spans.

“Although the technology of Tianwan still belongs to the second generation, our safety standards equal third generation,” said Wu.

After two reactors went into operation this year, the Tianwan plant is ready for its expansion by adding another two reactors. Last month China and Russia signed an agreement for the second phase of the project under which Atomstroyexport would supply another two 1,060MW reactors.

Four other reactors are also planned for Tianwan. Still in preliminary planning stages, a decision on what technology to use has not been made. Once all eight reactors come into commercial use, the site will have a combined capacity of over 8,000MW.