China and Russia strengthen energy cooperation: first fuel for Tianwan VVER-1200 unit

The new VVER-1200 unit at China’s Tianwan nuclear power plant has received its first batch of nuclear fuel. It was supplied by Russian company TVEL, marking the first fuel delivery for this reactor type to China. Two nuclear units are currently under construction at the plant on the coast of the Yellow Sea and are due to begin operation this year and next. Once completed, Tianwan will become the world’s largest nuclear power plant, with eight units and installed capacity of more than 8 GW.

Russian company TVEL, a subsidiary of energy company Rosatom, announced that it had supplied the first nuclear fuel for the new Tianwan 7 unit in China. Once they receive approval, technicians will be able to begin loading fuel into the reactor of the new VVER-1200 unit.  China and Russia signed a contract to build two nuclear reactors at Tianwan in 2018. Rosatom officially began construction of the first unit in May 2021.

“The first delivery of nuclear fuel for a VVER-1200 reactor marks a new chapter in the history of our cooperation with our Chinese partners. In 2026, we plan to deliver fuel for three more reactor cores at the Tianwan and Xudapu plants. This will be a record volume of nuclear fuel delivered in a single year,” said Oleg Grigoryev, TVEL’s senior vice president for commerce.

The nuclear fuel comes from a plant in Novosibirsk, Russia, where TVEL is also preparing fuel for the eighth unit at Tianwan. Russia has so far supplied China with nuclear fuel for VVER-1000 reactors, with some fuel also manufactured by the Chinese side using Russian components. TVEL says the same approach will be used for VVER-1200 fuel, and a Chinese plant in Sichuan province is already preparing to manufacture it.

Future world’s largest nuclear power plant

Tianwan nuclear power plant currently has six operating units. The first pair of Russian VVER-1000 units, each with an installed capacity of 990 MW (net), began commercial operation in 2007. Another pair of VVER-1000 units, with their capacity increased to 1060 MW (net), followed in 2017 and 2018. The most recent pair of units, commissioned in 2020 and 2021, are Chinese ACPR1000 nuclear units with an installed capacity of 1000 MW (net).

“Overall, our partnership with CNNC is developing very dynamically and covers several areas, including domestic manufacturing and fuel supplies for fast neutron reactors. At the same time, the potential for our cooperation in the nuclear fuel cycle is far from exhausted,” Grigoryev added.

Rosatom expects the final pair of VVER-1200 units to enter operation this year and next. Each unit will add 1171 MW (net) to the plant’s installed capacity. Once all eight units are operational, Tianwan will become the world’s largest nuclear power plant, with an installed capacity of 8 442 MW (net).