All the main equipment has now been installed at the first of two demonstration Hualong One units under construction at the Fuqing site in China's Fujian province. Installation of the steam generators has begun at the second unit.

Installation of the third coolant pump at Fuqing 5 (Image: CNNC)

Installation of the third and final main reactor coolant pump at Fuqing unit 5 was completed on 5 January, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) announced today.

The company said the pumps have a "complex and special structure". The components for the pumps were shipped to the construction site for assembly. The main pump components for unit 5 arrived packed within more than 150 separate boxes. The unpacking of these boxes was subject to rigorous inspection, CNNC said.

The first main pump components were installed on 10 December. CNNC noted that all the main equipment of unit 5 at the plant is now in place within the nuclear island.

Meanwhile, the installation of the first of three steam generators has begun at unit 6 of the Fuqing plant.

The first steam generator is moved into the reactor building of Fuqing 6 (Image: CNNC)

The component - weighing about 365 tonnes - was designed by China Nuclear Power Institute and manufactured by Dongfang Electric Corporation. The steam generator was delivered to the construction site on 20 December and then moved into the reactor building on 23 December in preparation of installation.

Installation of the reactor pressure vessel at unit 6 was completed on 10 December.

In November 2014, CNNC announced that the fifth and sixth units at Fuqing will use the domestically-developed Hualong One pressurised water reactor design, marking its first deployment. The company had previously expected to use the ACP1000 design for those units, but plans were revised in line with a re-organisation of the Chinese nuclear industry. China's State Council gave final approval for construction of Fuqing units 5 and 6 in April 2015.

The pouring of first concrete for Fuqing 5 began in May that year, marking the official start of construction of the unit. Construction of unit 6 began in December the same year. The dome of unit 5 was installed on the containment building in May 2017 and the reactor pressure vessel was installed in January last year.

Fuqing 5 and 6 are scheduled to be completed in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

Construction of two Hualong One (HPR1000) units is also under way at China General Nuclear's Fangchenggang plant in the Guangxi Autonomous Region. Those units are also expected to start up in 2019 and 2020. Two HPR1000 units are under construction at Pakistan's Karachi nuclear power plant. Construction began on Karachi unit 2 in 2015 and unit 3 in 2016; the units are planned to enter commercial operation in 2021 and 2022. The HPR1000 has also been proposed for construction at Bradwell in the UK, where it is undergoing Generic Design Assessment.