Two ACP100 modular reactors have been given construction go ahead

Tweet CNNC New Energy Corporation will construct two small ACP100, modular nuclear power reactors at a cost of some RMB5 billion ($787 million). Although it has not been disclosed what specific reactor technology will be used for the Zhangzhou units, CNNC has been developing the ACP100 modular design. This is a 100 to 150 MWe pressurized water reactor designed for electricity, heat or desalination. A plant utilizing the design will have a flexible configuration, with between one and eight modules.

The ACP100 uses heat from the reactor for desalination, industrial purposes and residential heating. So it will a cogenerating system. Two other primary benefits are smaller modules are easier to finance and are the size to directly replace the common smaller coal plants and the 30 month construction time is about half the construction time of larger reactors (even the speedy construction times for reactors in China.

China is developing a modular, multipurpose nuclear reactor based on third generation technology (24 pages). The reactor is called the ACP100

China's Water-cooled reactors

CNNC has astrong research interest in larger reactors as well (ACP600/1000 600 MWe and 1000 MWe units), in addition to an ACP100 modular small reactor for electricity, heating and desalination. It appears that the ACP600 is developed from the CNP-600 (also referred to as CP600). CNNC has said that the ACP600 design should be ready for deployment on Hainan or in the northwest province of Gansu by 2013.

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