The CPR-1000, or CPR1000 is a Generation II+pressurized water reactor, based on the French 900 MWe three cooling loop design imported in the 1980s, improved to have a slightly increased net power output of 1,000 MWe and a 60-year design life. The CPR-1000 is built and operated by the China General Nuclear Power Group, formerly known as China Guangdong Nuclear Power. Progressively more Chinese manufactured components were used in the units; the second unit built had 70% of its equipment manufactured in China, with a 90% Chinese content target for later builds.
Construction
On 15 July 2010, China's first CPR-1000 nuclear power plant, Ling Ao-3, was connected to the grid, having started criticality testing on 11 June 2010. It started commercial operations on 27 September 2010, with Ling Ao-4 starting commercial operation on 7 August 2011. 18 CPR-1000 reactors have been built as of December 2019. Besides Ling Ao unit 3 & 4, the CPR-1000 reactor has been realised in Fangchenggang, Fangjiashan, Hongyanhe, Ningde, Yangjiang.
Design
The CPR-1000 uses as its base design units 5 & 6 of the Gravelines Nuclear Power Station in France. Four reactors at Daya Bay and Ling Ao Phase 1 are sometimes also called CPR-1000s, but these are closely based on the French 900 MWe design, with net power output below 1,000 MWe, and using mostly imported components. Some CPR-1000 intellectual property rights are retained by Areva, which limits overseas sales potential. However the Financial Times reported in 2010 that Areva was considering marketing the CPR-1000 as a smaller and simpler second-generation reactor design alongside its larger EPR, for countries that are new to nuclear power. In January 2012, CGNPG agreed a partnership with Areva and EDF to develop a reactor based on the CPR-1000, which may create a design converged with Mitsubishi and Areva's 1000 MWe Atmea reactor. CNP-1000 is a similar 3-loop-design by CNNC, but with a different reactor core.
ACPR-1000 development
In 2010, CGNPG announced a further design evolution to a Generation III level, the ACPR-1000, which would also replace intellectual property right-limited components. CGNPG aimed to be able to independently market the ACPR-1000 for export by 2013. CGNPG has been conducting the development work in cooperation with Dongfang Electric, Shanghai Electric, Harbin Electric, China First Heavy Industries and China Erzhong. Yangjiang 5 was the first construction of an ACPR-1000 reactor, starting in late 2013. This reactor includes a core catcher and double containment as additional safety measures. It began commercial operation in July 2018. It was the first Chinese reactor to have a domestically-developed digital control system. Unit 5 and 6 at Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant are similarly classified as ACPRs. Following the Fukushima nuclear disaster, a revised design called at the time ACPR-1000+ was described. Features include double containment to protect against external explosions and airplanes, improved seismic capability to 0.3 g, increased core thermal margins and improved operation systems. The gross power output has been increased to 1150 MWe. The ACPR-1000+ was envisaged for export from 2014.
Since 2011 CGNPG has been progressively merging the ACPR-1000 with the China National Nuclear Corporation's ACP-1000 design into the new Hualong One design.
