Russia will commission the second unit of the Tianwan nuclear power plant in China in late September, the Russian nuclear equipment export monopoly said Tuesday.

Atomstroyexport is building the Tianwan NPP in eastern China's port city of Lianyungang. The plant, which is being built under a 1992 bilateral agreement, features improved VVER-1000 reactors and K-100-6/3000 turbo-generators.

"Today the second unit of this NPP is operating at half capacity. The experience of commissioning the first unit will enable us to put the second power unit into operation in late September 2007," said Sergei Shmatko, Atomstroyexport's head.

Atomstroyexport commissioned the first unit of the Tianwan NPP on June 2, 2007.

Shmatko also said Russia and China would draft a schedule by the end of July to build the third and fourth units of the Tianwan NPP.

"After the successful launch of the first power unit, our [Russian-Chinese] dialogue has intensified considerably. A working group has been set up to prepare a feasibility study for the construction of the third and fourth power units, taking into account the experience of building the first two units," Shmatko said.

Meanwhile, Ivan Kamenskikh, deputy head of the Federal Nuclear Power Agency (Rosatom), said Russia and China were discussing potential projects to build fast neutron reactors, a uranium enrichment plant, and projects to introduce new technologies into the process of irradiated nuclear fuel management.

SOURCE: RIA Novosti

DATE: June 19, 2007

Topics: NPP, Atomstroyexport, Asia, China, Russia