The first-ever large commercial nuclear power station in Mainland China, GNPS comprises two Pressurized Waters Reactors (PWR) of 984 MWe each. The electric output of GNPS is around 15 TWh per annum, with 70% supplied to Hong Kong and 30% to Guangdong. GNPS had been constructed and operated under the pattern of “starting at a significant height to introduce, digest, absorb and innovate” and “constructing with loans, repaying loans with revenue from electric power sales and operating with joint venture”.  The main structure work was commenced in July 1987, and on May 6, 1994, GNPS was put into commercial operation. As an outcome of China’s Reform and Opening-up Policy, GNPS represents a valuable sample of modern enterprise system for the country.

Since its commercial operation, GNPS has maintained safe and stable operation for 15 years, with its economic and operating performance indicators on a par with the advanced international level. Since 1999, CNPS has taken part in the Safety Challenge competitions organized by the Electricité de France (EDF), competing with similar units of other countries. Up to now, 17 first prizes have been won. On May 13, 2006, the first ten-year outage of Unit 1 of GNPS was completed 12.94 days ahead of schedule. It became the first domestic nuclear power plant which had gone through all the critical periods of its lifespan except for decommissioning. On October 18, 2007, Unit 1 of GNPS created a new domestic record of 487-day continuous safe operation in one single cycle. As of December 31, 2008, the unit has maintained continuous safe operation for 2355 days, a new national record positioned the second compared with similar French units. This record is extending. In 2008, GNPS had achieved a grid off-take of 15.43TWh with the capacity factor reaching 93%. Taking the 9 WANO Performance Indicators as referrence, 4 of GNPS performance indicators have reached the international advanced level. Compared with the beginning of commercial operation in 1994, the present annual out-put of GNPS has been increased to 15TWh from 10TWh forecasted in the Feasibility Study Report. The core meltdown rate has been decreased to 1.24X10-5 from 5X10-5, better than that of the similar units in Europe and America. By the end of December 2008, GNPS had realized cumulative off-take of 200TWh, 70% of which was sent to Hong Kong. As of July 4, 2008, GNPS has repaid a total of USD 5.674 billion, principal plus interest, fulfilling 100% of the total repayment commitments.

The construction and operation of GNPS have successfully turned into reality the burgeoning of the large commercial nuclear power stations in mainland China and achieved the goal of developing nuclear power construction at a leapfrogging pace to catch up with the pacesetters of nuclear power industry. In so doing, CGNPC managed to lay a solid foundation for the further development of nuclear power in China and contribute to the economic and social development in both Guangdong and Hong Kong.

LNPS Phase I is the second large commercial nuclear power station constructed by CGNPC in Guangdong in accordance with the State Council’s guideline of “utilizing returns from existing nuclear power plants to nurture further growth of nuclear power in a rolling-on manner”.  Comprised of two PWRs of 990 MWe for each, LNPS Phase I took GNPS as its reference and made 52 significant improvements. In the light of international standards, the project management, construction, installation, testing and operation preparation were all completed by ourselves. Part of engineering and equipment manufacturing were done locally, with an average localization rate of 30%. More than 180 domestic manufactures have taken part in the equipment manufacturing activities. LNPS Phase I was commenced on May 15, 1997, and was put into operation on January 8, 2003, 66 days ahead of schedule, saving USD 381 million, 10% of the budget approved by the government.  The overall performance of the station has reached the international advanced level compared with other nuclear power stations of the similar design. The Pre-OSART (Pre-Operational Safety Assessment Review Team) mission assigned by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to LNPS Phase I drew the conclusion that “most of the performance indicators of LNPS are comparable to the latest IAEA International Safety Codes, and LNPS achievements to date will be valuable reference for the global nuclear power industry.”

Ever since the two units were put into commercial operation, they have maintained safe operation with good performance results. Unit 1 set a record of maintaining continuous safe operation for 592 days spanning over two refueling cycles without unplanned reactor shutdown. By April 9, 2008, it has operated safely for a total of 1000 days. Unit 2 created the world record of zero unplanned reactor or turbine shutdown from its initial criticality and commercial operation for 935 days.  In 2008, LNPS had achieved a grid off-take of 14.62TWh with the capacity factor reached 88.68%. By the end of December 2008, the station has generated a cumulative total of 90TWh, and has repaid a total of USD 2.185 billion, principal plus interest, representing 44.61% of the total loan repayment commitments.

The construction and operation of LNPS Phase I embodies the concrete result of the implementation of “utilizing returns from existing nuclear power plants to nurture further growth of nuclear power in a rolling-on manner”. The valuable experience contributes greatly to the industry’s development in the country and serves as a solid foundation for further technology innovation in the field and the realization of CPR 1000, a Chinese PWR of its own right. The experiences also help to improve the self-reliance and localization capabilities associated with the large commercial nuclear power stations of the 1000 MWe class. At the same time, LNPS phase I has significantly alleviated the shortage of electric power supply in Guangdong Province.