China resumes new reactor approvals

The Chinese government has approved construction of two more units at the Hongyanhe nuclear power plant in Liaoning province, marking the first approval for new reactors in four years.
China General Nuclear (CGN) announced today that it had received a document from the National Development and Reform Commission confirming that approval had been granted for construction of Hongyanhe units 5 and 6.
According to Chinese media reports, construction of Hongyanhe units 5 and 6 was formally approved at the 17 February meeting of the State Council. The National Energy Board is reported to have also recently approved the project.
CGN must now obtain construction permits from the National Nuclear Security Administration for the two units - likely to be Chinese-developed Hualong One reactors - before construction can begin.
The Hongyanhe site already hosts four CPR-1000 units. Units 1 and 2 have been in commercial operation since June 2013 and May 2014, respectively. Units 3 and 4 are both scheduled to start up this year.
Just days after the Fukushima accident in Japan in March 2011, China's State Council decided to halt approvals and licensing for new reactors until a safety plan was in place and there was assurance that existing plants were adequately designed, sited, protected and managed.
It also suspended work on four approved units - Fuqing units 4, 5 and 6, and Yangjiang unit 4 - due to start construction in 2011.
The Shandong Shidaowan HTR-PM project, although ready for first concrete, was also delayed. Power generation continued at reactors in operation at the time, as did construction of the 25 units then approved.