Sanmen nuclear plant set for 2013

The first pour of basemat structural concrete for the nuclear island at Sanmen has been completed. This will be the site of the first of four Westinghouse AP1000™ nuclear power plants to be built under a contract signed in 2007.

It is a joint project between the Westinghouse Electric Company, its consortium partner The Shaw Group Inc., China's State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation and Sanmen Nuclear Power Company of China National Nuclear Corporation.

“Completion of concrete pour is a major milestone that visibly moves the Sanmen project from the design and discussion stage to the construction stage," said Westinghouse President and CEO Aris Candris. "More importantly, by getting this project underway on schedule, we are further helping to ensure that baseload electricity generation will begin at this plant as intended in 2013."

The pour encompassed 5,200 cubic meters of concrete, 950 tons of reinforcing steel and 1000 anchor bolts. The concrete will serve as the foundation for all of the nuclear island buildings, including the containment vessel and the shield building.

In addition to four plants, the Westinghouse consortium is under contract to provide in China, Westinghouse and the AP1000 have been identified as the supplier and technology of choice for no less than 14 plants that have been announced in the United States, including six for which engineering, procurement and construction contracts have been signed.