World’s first AP1000 containment vessel top head set at China Sanmen Unit 1 05 February 2013

The AP1000 containment vessel top head for the nuclear island of Unit 1 at the Sanmen site in China has successfully been set.

The plant was manufactured at Shandong Nuclear Power Equipment Manufacturing in China's Shandong province.

It weighs 659 tons, and placement of the containment vessel top head was finished on 29 January at 9:56 a.m. China Time.

Setting of the containment vessel top head is a significant step in Westinghouse's delivery of the world's first AP1000 nuclear power plant.

Before it could be set, numerous pieces of major equipment had to be produced, tested, shipped and placed inside containment.

"We are confident that our delivery of the world's first AP1000 plants in China will demonstrate the many benefits of our technology and provide the citizens of China with safe, clean, reliable energy for generations to come," comments Deva Chari, Westinghouse senior vice president for nuclear power plant project delivery

Westinghouse and The Shaw Group signed landmark contracts with Chinese customers in 2007 to provide four AP1000 pressurised water reactors in China, two in Sanmen in Zhejiang, and another pair in Haiyang in Shandong province.

SNPTC expects that the first AP1000 unit at Sanmen will start to produce electricity in 2014.

Brian Tinham

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Westinghouse Electric UK Holdings Ltd

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