China Awards Contracts to UK, French and US Firms on 8 New Nuclear Reactors.

[NNadir]

Several contracts have recently been awarded to UK, US and French engineering companies to supply components for new Chinese-designed CPR-1000 reactors either currently under construction or planned in China.

UK engineering firm Rolls-Royce announced that it has agreed contracts worth over £35 million ($56 million) to supply instrumentation and control systems for eight new Chinese reactors.
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Under the contracts with China Nuclear Power Engineering Corp (CNPEC), Rolls-Royce will supply six rod control systems (RCS) and eight neutron instrumentation systems (NIS).

The RCS actuates the control rod drive mechanism (CRDM) in order to withdraw or insert the reactor control rods, to control the power of the nuclear reactor. The NIS enables operators to permanently monitor instantaneous nuclear power, power fluctuations, and radial and axial power distribution in the reactor by using the neutron flux measured by the "excore" neutron detectors.

The systems will be manufactured at Rolls-Royce's facility in Meylan, France.

The contracts include systems for use in Fanchengang units 1 and 2; Hongyanhe units 5 and 6; and Yangjiang units 3, 4, 5 and 6. All the units are either under construction or planned by China Guangdong Nuclear Power Corp (CGNPC)...

...Meanwhile, US valve manufacturer Flowserve has been awarded two multi-million dollar contracts by CNPEC and China Nuclear Energy Industry Corp (CNEIC) for main steam isolation valves (MSIVs) for use in four new CPR-1000 reactors in China.

MSIVs are used to assist in the safe shutdown of a reactor in the unlikely event of a rupture in the plant's main steam piping. The valves will be used in Fuqing units 3 and 4 and Tianwan units 5 and 6. All four units are currently under construction and are scheduled to begin operating in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

Tom Pajonas, president of Flowserve's flow control division, said, "These orders further strengthen our long-standing relationship with the Chinese nuclear power industry and with our customers, CNPEC and CNEIC." He added, "We are pleased to be able to supply the products that help power the future of nuclear energy in China."

In August, Flowserve announced that it had been awarded three contracts totalling over $10 million from CNPEC for MSIVs for six new CPR-1000 reactors. These are: Yangjiang units 3 and 4 in Guangdong province, Fangchenggang units 1 and 2 in Guangxi autonomous province and Ningde units 3 and 4 in Fujian province. The 1000 MWe units are scheduled to begin commercial operation between 2014 and 2016.

http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/C-Suppliers_clinch_CPR1000_component_contracts-0811104.html">Suppliers clinch CPR-1000 component contracts

China will surpass every nation on earth except the United States in nuclear power production within the next ten years, with 23 reactors now under construction and about 60 more scheduled to start builds in the next 5 years. China's investment in new nuclear power over the next 5 years exceeds its annual military budget.

China has announced a program by which it will have 500 reactors by 2050, meaning that nuclear production there will outstrip current world capacity, currently at about 430 reactors.