China General Nuclear Power Group and French energy company EDF Group announced on Friday in Beijing that the unit one reactor of the Taishan nuclear power plant had successfully completed a 168-hour demonstration operation. (Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn)
China General Nuclear Power Group and French energy company EDF Group on Friday announced that Taishan Nuclear Power Plant's unit one reactor successfully completed a 168-hour demonstration operation.
The operation was completed by 5 pm on Thursday, and the reactor has since been operational, putting it on course to become the world's first commercial nuclear reactor using Generation 3 EPR technology.
On the completion of the first two units of reactors, the Taishan project is expected to reduce standard coal consumption by about 8.03 million tons and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 21.09 million tons every year.
These reductions are equivalent to planting 58,500 hectares of forest, according to a statement.
Both companies said the work carried out on the Taishan project over the last 10 years will be helpful to other nuclear projects' construction and management, as well as the overall development of the world's nuclear power industry.
The Taishan nuclear power plant is one of the largest cooperative energy projects between China and France, and is operated by a joint venture established between China General Nuclear Power Group with a 51 percent stake, EDF Group with 30 percent, and the provincial Chinese electricity company Yuedian with 19 percent.
