Jun 12, 2013

Nextera completes 700 MW of nuclear uprates mostly in Florida and China completes its 17th nuclear r

1.Nextera Energy completes six uprates of nuclear plants in Florida (4 reactors) and Wisconson (2 reactors) that added 700 megawatts of power.

NextEra will see many long-term benefits from the uprates.

"You've got a more modern plant that will result in improved reliability. You've got fuel cost savings for the customer. You've got greater fuel diversification. You're reducing CO2 emissions," Jones said.

2. The first of four reactors being built at the Hongyanhe plant in Liaoning province in northeast China has begun commercial operation. It becomes China's seventeenth operating nuclear power unit.

The 1080 MWe Chinese-designed pressurized water reactor officially entered commercial operation on 6 June after completing commissioning tests. The unit is said to be capable of supplying about one-quarter of the electricity demand of nearby Dalian City.

Hongyanhe 1 is the first of four CPR-1000 reactors currently being built at Hongyanhe. Its construction started in August 2007. Cold testing of the nuclear island of the unit was successfully completed in October 2012 and it achieved first criticality on 16 January. The unit was connected to the grid on 17 February.

Construction of the three other units there is progressing, with heat function tests at unit 2 nearing completion, and installation works at units 3 and 4 now 66% and 40% complete respectively. All four units should be in operation by the end of 2015.

Read more at http://nextbigfuture.com/2013/06/nextera-completes-700-mw-of-nuclear.html