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Russia: Nuclear Exports to China:
Enrichment, Mining, and Milling  To return to the main
Nuclear Exports to China entry, see the Nuclear Exports to
China
file.
China and Russia signed an agreement in 1993 for the construction of an enrichment facility in China to produce low-enriched uranium (LEU). In January 1996 Russia and China established a joint venture to build a Soviet-designed three-module commercial gas centrifuge uranium enrichment facility, involving the Russian firm Zarubezhatomenergostroy. Although some reports suggested that this plant would be located in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, recent evidence suggests that the plant is located in Hanzhun, Shaanxi Province.[1,2,3] According to the Sino-Russian contract, Russia will replace any machines that break down within 15 years, and the agreement includes training for Chinese operators for when they take over the facility's operation once all three modules are finished. The agreement also prohibits production of HEU at the facility and re-export of the Russian-supplied equipment. Although Western officials estimate the facility's total capacity upon completion at between 200,000-300,000 separative work units (SWU) per year, Russia's Minatom has stated that each module will have a capacity of 200,000 SWU per year. The first module was completed in June 1996. The second began operating in September 1997 and was due for completion in August 1998. The third module is scheduled to come fully on line by the end of 2000.[3,4] Each module consists of 10,000 vertically stacked centrifuge columns, each consisting of individual units with an annual capacity of 2-3 SWU. The stacked machines are all subcritical units, and come from surplus Russian production; the Ural Electrochemical Plant supplied the Hanzhun facility with $8 million worth of equipment for the facility.[4,6] Operating under IAEA safeguards, the facility will enrich only Chinese-origin uranium, according to Chinese officials. The facility is producing 4 percent enriched LEU for the 300MWe power reactors at Qinshan, and possibly for the French-built reactors at Daya Bay. The plant will also produce fuel for the two planned Russian VVER-1000 PWRs at the Lianyungang Nuclear Power Plant.[4] When fully operational, the Hanzhun plant will allow China to close its gaseous diffusion plant at Lanzhou. In an interview in November 1997, then-serving Russian Atomic Energy
Minister Viktor Mikhailov described the Hanzhun facility as an outstanding
example of Minatom's export potential and of Russo-Chinese nuclear cooperation:
"We started up the first phase of the enrichment plant 300 days ahead of
schedule. We promised to build it in 1,000 days, but were able to do so
sooner. The plant is already producing output worth $20 million a year...It
will be able to produce output worth $30 million. We will hand over this
project fully in 2001. China is extremely happy with the cooperation with
the Russian Ministry of Atomic Energy because we are engaged in high-quality
construction and are greatly ahead of schedule."[5]
Last updated 29 April 1999
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