China’s major hydropower company joins nuclear wave
China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and China Three Gorges Group
(CTG) have signed a strategic cooperation agreement to invest in
domestic nuclear power projects, and to promote the inland Taohuajiang
nuclear power plant in Hunan province. CTG developed the huge Three
Gorges hydropower project, now operated by its subsidiary China Yangtze
Power (CYPC). CTG already holds 20% of the CNNC project company set up
in 2007: CNNC Hunan Taohuajiang Nuclear Power Co Ltd (CNNC 50%), which
is ready to build one of the first big inland nuclear power plants –
four AP1000 reactors. However, the new agreement signals CTG’s
substantial entry into nuclear power. Collaboration domestically will
be between subsidiaries CNNP and CYPC, while international nuclear and
hydropower goals would be pursued at higher level.
In addition to new reactor projects, CTG has agreed to invest in China’s
nuclear power supply chain, including participating in CNNC's nuclear
fuel operations, and on the R&D front promote development and
construction of the demonstration fast reactor project. This is
evidently the twin Russian BN-800 plant planned for Sanming, in Fujian
province, where CNNC has the major stake in the project company.
Russia’s NIAEP-Atomstroyexport expects contracts for the actual plant to
be in place about the end of this year.
There is another interesting angle on the new China hydro-nuclear
agreement. In September 2010 CYPC invested in EuroSibEnergo, a large
private Russian hydropower company, and is exploring the potential for
importing Siberian hydro power. The main assets of EuroSibEnergo are
close to China’s border and the company is negotiating to export power
to the northern and northeastern provinces of China where prices are
higher. This is within the terms of a 2006 Russian-Chinese
Intergovernmental Agreement which provides for export to China of
up to 20 billion kWh per year by 2020. Eurosibenergo supplies RUSAL,
the world’s largest aluminium smelting company - both companies are in
the En+ group.
WNN 26/8/14.
China NP,
China organisations
Other papers significantly updated in the WNA Information Library (see WNA web site):
Molten salt reactors (new, now live),
Lithium (new),
Plutonium,
US NP policy,
Poland,
S.Korea
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