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Bloomberg
China’s homegrown nuclear technology is gaining favour in the battle for the nation’s next generation of reactors, according to a state-owned developer, as it seeks to move on after delays and cost blowouts from imported designs.
China’s reactor, known as the Hualong One, will be faster and easier to repair and maintain than competing foreign designs because it will be made domestically, according to Chen Hua, chief executive officer of China National Nuclear Power Co, which builds and operates nuclear power projects in the country.
“We prefer the Hualong One,†Chen said on the sidelines of a nuclear conference in Beijing.
The global nuclear industry has been awaiting a revival in China after cost overruns and stricter regulation after the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan stalled approvals and construction of new units.
The country’s expanding energy demand growth and drive for cleaner energy have been a magnet for Western reactor makers, including Westinghouse Electric Co from the US and France’s Electricite de France SA.
Their marquee third-generation reactors — the AP1000 and EPR, respectively — started commercial operations in China in recent months.
However they face competition domestically, as state-run China National Nuclear Corp, the parent of CNNP, and China General Nuclear Power Corp promote the production and export of Hualong One.
CNNP operates the Sanmen project in Zhejiang province, which uses Westinghouse’s AP1000 design. After starting commercial operations at the No. 2 reactor, it has since been suspended after a problem with its coolant pump was detected near the end of last year.
Westinghouse is currently examining the defect at Sanmen No. 2 and will be responsible for the cost of fixing it as the unit is still under warranty, Chen said.
A China-based Westinghouse spokesman declined to comment, and representatives in the US didn’t respond to requests for comment.
China is expected to build more than 30 Hualong One nuclear reactors based on project approvals and development plans, Hualong International Nuclear Power Technology Deputy General Manager Xian Chunyu said at a conference in Beijing.