Construction of China's ACP100 modular reactor reaches another milestone

Construction of the first small modular reactor on the mainland has reached another important milestone. Technicians have installed the outer containment dome on the ACP100 reactor in China's Hainan province. Construction of the 125 MW reactor began in 2021, and it is expected to be commissioned in 2026.

China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) announced that it had successfully installed the outer containment dome of the ACP100 small modular reactor. Installation of the 550-tonne outer dome took just over 1.5 hours. The ACP100 reactor building consists of three parts: an inner structure, a steel containment vessel and an outer concrete shielding shell.

"Lifting the outer dome into place means that the main structure of the reactor building has been completed, laying the foundation for the subsequent enclosure of the reactor building," said Chen Weimin, deputy director of the Hainan Nuclear Energy Administration.

The ACP100 reactor is also known as Linglong One and is intended to build on the success of China's Hualong One conventional reactor design. It has an installed capacity of 125 MW and became the first SMR to pass a safety review by the International Atomic Energy Agency in 2016.

Construction to take 5 years

Construction of what CNNC describes as the first land-based modular pressurized water reactor began at the Changjiang site in July 2021. Under current plans, the nuclear unit is to begin operating after 58 months—that is, in early 2026. In addition to the new modular reactor, two Hualong One units are also under construction at the site.

"Thanks to advantages such as safety, deployment flexibility and versatility, small modular reactors are playing an increasingly important role in the transformation of nuclear energy," CNNC said in a press release.

The Linglong One unit can be used not only to generate electricity, but also for heating, steam production or seawater desalination. CNNC says it will generate around 1 TWh of electricity per year, equivalent to the annual consumption of more than half a million households.