To return to the main
Nuclear Exports to China entry, see the
Nuclear Exports to
China
file.
1/4/2003: NUCLEAR FUEL READY FOR
CHINESE REACTOR
On 4 January 2003, RIA Novosti reported Minatom's announcement that fuel
elements for reactors under construction in Iran and China were ready for
shipment. According to Minatom, the fuel elements will be sent under the
supervision of the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA)
as soon as Russian specialists begin the final stage of
reactor construction.
12/6/2002: MINATOM ON CHINESE NUCLEAR MARKET PROSPECTS
ITAR-TASS
reported on 6 December 2002 that, according to Minister of Nuclear Energy Aleksandr Rumyantsev,
Minatom
considers the nuclear markets of India and China to have the greatest prospects. Rumyantsev
made his comment after President Vladimir
Putin's visits to these
countries. According to
Rumyantsev, Russian cooperation
with India and China in the field of nuclear energy compares favorably with
their cooperation with other countries. Both countries are in favor of expanding
cooperation, and up to 90 nuclear reactors may be built in India alone during
the next 40 years.
12/3/2002: ORDERS FOR THREE ADDITIONAL
REACTORS EXPECTED
On 3 December 2002, during a visit
to China, Minister of Atomic Energy Aleksandr
Rumyantsev announced that Minatom
expects to receive orders from China for three additional reactors (including
one fast breeder reactor) over the next two years. According to a Gazeta.ru
article cited by Regions.ru, Rumyantsev estimated
the value of these contracts at over $1 billion.
11/1/2002: REACTOR EQUIPMENT
COMPLETED FOR SECOND LIANYUNGANG UNIT
ITAR-TASS reported on 1 November 2002 that Izhorskiye zavody had completed the
manufacture of reactor equipment for the second Lianyungang NPP unit. The
reactor shell and other components will be shipped to China by the end of 2002.
10/28/2002: BREEDER REACTOR PROJECT ADVANCES
NuclearFuel reported on 28 October 2002 that the installation of equipment for
the China Experimental Fast Reactor (CEFR), a fast breeder reactor (FBR) under
construction with Russian assistance, will begin in March 2003. The component
and system installation is to continue until mid-2004, and will be followed by
cold testing through September 2005, after which the reactor is scheduled to
reach criticality in November 2005. The 65MW thermal/25MW electric reactor
project dates to the early 1990s. Its preliminary design was completed in 1997,
and detailed design in 2002, with Russian participation. The reactor's design is
related to the Russian BN-600 design in operation in
Beloyarsk. Russian firms
will also supply equipment for the reactor, and its first load of 64.4%-enriched
fuel. After CEFR becomes operational, the Chinese government intends to pursue
construction of a
300MW pool-type FBR, and either a large, 1,500MW fast breeder reactor, or a
modular 300MW FBR.
10/17/2002: FIRST LIANYUNGANG REACTOR TO BECOME OPERATIONAL IN 2003
On 17 October 2002 Russian Minister of Atomic Energy Aleksandr Rumyantsev announced that the first reactor at
Lianyungang NPP will be launched in 2003.
The general designer of the project is
Atomenergoproyekt in St. Petersburg.
Izhorskiye zavody, also located in St. Petersburg, is engaged in manufacturing
the reactor, Elektrosila is to provide the generators, and the
Leningrad Metal Plant is producing the turbines. Control systems for the reactor
will be delivered by the joint venture
Nuclearcontrol formed by the German
concern Siemens and Minatom. Two additional reactors may be built at Lianyungang.
8/15/2002: RUSSIA, CHINA IN DISCUSSIONS ON FLOATING NUCLEAR REACTORS
Interfax reported on 15 August 2002 that Rosenergoatom intends to sign a
framework agreement with China addressing the construction of a floating NPP
utilizing two KLT-40S reactors. For more information, see the
10/19/2002 entry in the
Civilian Naval Reactor Developments
section.
7/8/2002: BALTIC SHIPYARD BEGINS
DELIVERIES TO LIANYUNGANG
The
Baltic Shipyard press service
announced on 8 July 2002 that the shipyard had begun deliveries of equipment for the Lianyungang NPP. The construction of the first of six heat exchangers for the
plant has been completed and by the end of July a total of three exchangers
will be sent to China.
5/31/2002: CHINA'S INTEREST IN
RUSSIAN NUCLEAR SUBMARINES REPORTED
Agentstvo voyennykh novostey
reported on 31 May 2002 that, according to the deputy director of the Center
for Analysis of Strategic and Technologies, Konstantin Makiyenko, the list of
Russian weapon systems of interest to China also includes nuclear submarines.
Specific submarine classes reported to be of interest to China were Bars-class [NATO name 'Akula']
nuclear attack and
Antey-class ['Oscar'] nuclear cruise missile submarines.
4/3/2002: RUSSIAN SPECIALISTS COMPLETE INSTALLATION OF FIRST REACTOR AT
LIANYUNGANG NPP
On 3 April 2002, Russian specialists completed the installation of the first
reactor at the Lianyungang NPP. Preparations for
the installation of the second reactor are underway. The announcement was made
by Deputy Minister of Atomic Energy Yevgeniy Reshetnikov who was participating in the
activities of a bilateral commission engaged in preparing meetings between
the Russian and Chinese prime ministers. According to Reshetnikov, the work at
Lianyungang is proceeding on schedule, with two-thirds of the equipment
for the station to be supplied by the end of 2002. While Lianyungang is the largest
Russo-Chinese cooperation project, Russian is also participating in the
construction of a neutron reactor and plans to participate in tenders to build
additional power reactors in China. Russia and China are also engaged in
cooperation to develop nuclear power sources for the Chinese space program.
11/11/2001: RUSSIAN DELEGATION TO PARTICIPATE IN GAS CENTRIFUGE LAUNCH IN CHINA
On 11 November 2001 a Minatom delegation headed by Minister of Atomic Energy Aleksandr Rumyantsev left for China to participate in the launch of the
third stage of a gas centrifuge in Lanzhou in central China. The facility is
entering operation two years ahead of schedule. The first and second stages, located
in Hanzhun, entered operation in March 1998 and April 2001. The facilities were
built in accordance with the 18 December 1992 intergovernmental agreement on
cooperation on construction of a gas centrifuge uranium enrichment facility in
China. Rumyantsev's delegation is also to visit the Lianyungang nuclear power plant
under construction with Russian assistance.
8/2/2001: TURBINES FOR CHINESE NPP TESTED
On 2 August 2001 Interfax reported that the St.
Petersburg-based Leningrad Metallurgy Plant (LMZ) had completed testing one
of two 1,000MW turbines for the
Lianyungang nuclear power plant (NPP). This NPP
is being built
in China under a 1997 Russian-Chinese intergovernmental agreement. LMZ is a
subcontractor of Atomstroyeksport, which is implementing a $130 million deal with
China to supply equipment for the Lianyungang NPP. As of
2 August 2001, the second turbine was being built, and talks were underway
for the supply of a third and a fourth turbine for the Lianyungang NPP.
10/12/99: RUSSIA TO HELP CHINA BUILD NUCLEAR
SUBMARINES
According to an unnamed Chinese military expert,
the Chinese Navy has begun work on a new type of nuclear-powered submarine
with Russian assistance. The submarines, under construction at the
Huludao Shipyard on Bohai Bay, will use advanced Russian technology, employ
a new type of nuclear reactor, and have strategic nuclear strike capability.
(Presumably the later means that it may be an SSBN.) The submarines
will be launched in three years.
9/27/99: RUSSIA OFFERS
TO SELL NUCLEAR SUBMARINES TO CHINA
The Malakhit
Central Marine-Engineering Design Bureau and Amurskiy
Zavod (Komsomolsk-na-Amure; formerly Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard and
Shipyard No. 199) have reportedly made offers through Rosvooruzheniye to
sell two Akula-class submarines to the Chinese Navy for as much as $500
million each. A senior official at Malakhit stated that the deal was sanctioned
by former Prime Minister Yevgeniy Primakov, but Vladimir Pospelov, head
of the State Shipbuilding Agency, denied any knowledge of the sale.
However, he also stated that he saw no major obstacles to such a deal.
According to the Malakhit official, the submarines are already 30 percent
completed and could be delivered in less than four years. (However, according
to CNS information, the two submarines under construction at Komsomolsk-na-Amure
are least 60 percent complete; please see the Profiles entry on Amurskiy
Zavod for details.)
9/2/99: LENINGRAD COMPANIES SEND EQUIPMENT TO
LIANYUNGANG
Izhorskiye Zavody of St. Petersburg sent a shipment
of piping shafts for the foundation of the nuclear reactors under construction
at China's Lianyungang nuclear power plant. This is the first shipment
of Russian equipment for the construction of these reactors. Izhorskiye
Zavody will produce about 4000MT of equipment for the reactors, including
all internal equipment, hydraulic accumulators for the backup cooling system,
a system to handle fresh and spent nuclear fuel, equipment for the reactor
shafts, pressure compensators, pipework, and steam generator housings.
Production will take approximately three years. Russia is responsible
for about 80 percent of the equipment in the first two reactors.
Other Russian firms (all in St. Petersburg) producing equipment for the
reactors include Leningradskiy Metallicheskiy Zavod (turbines), Elektrosila
(generators), and Znamya Truda (fittings).
2/27/99: ZHU VISITS VVER VESSEL FACTORY IN ST. PETERSBURG
On 27 February 1999, Premier of the State Council of China Zhu Rongji visited
Izhorskiye Zavody in St. Petersburg, Russia, where reactor vessels for
two Chinese power reactors will be made. Each VVER-1000 reactor unit will
have an output of 1,000MW. For each reactor unit Izhorskiye Zavody will
supply over 90 types of equipment weighing over 4,000MT, including a completed
reactor, equipment for the concrete reactor shaft, a pressure compensator,
tubing, hydraulic accumulators for the reactor core emergency cooling system,
a casing for the steam generator, and equipment for handling fresh and
spent reactor fuel. According to Interfax, the contract is worth at least
$100 million and will be completed in three to four years after the first
payment is made. The principal designer for the project is the St. Petersburg
Atomenergoproyekt
Research, Design, and Construction Institute.[1] Vadim Petrov, the
Chief Designer for Izhorskiye Zavody, said the facility was ready to build
the equipment and transfer power plant technologies to China.[2]
During the first stage of construction, Russia will be responsible for
80 percent of the construction effort.
2/19/99: RUSSIA, CHINA SIGN EXTENSION OF NUCLEAR DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT
On 19 February 1999, the Russian government signed a decree on the need
to extend the Russian-Chinese Agreement on the Joint Development of Cooperation
in the Energy Sphere. The original agreement was signed 25 April
1996 and is scheduled to remain in effect until April 1999. Russian
organizations are currently rendering technical assistance in designing,
constructing, and operating 13 facilities in China at a cost of nearly
$3 billion. In 1998 the scope of Russia's technical assistance amounted
to nearly $300 million. A source from the Russian Ministry of Trade
called the construction of the Lianyungang nuclear power plant the most
significant example of Russian-Chinese cooperation. Although the
agreement for construction of the Lianyungang nuclear power plant dates
back to 18 December 1992, construction did not begin until March 1998 due
to delays on China's part.
1/18/99: RUSSIAN-CHINESE SUBCOMMISSION FOR NUCLEAR ISSUES MEETS
On 18 January 1999, the Russian-Chinese Subcommission for Nuclear Issues
met in Moscow. Russian Minister of Atomic Energy Yevgeniy Adamov
met with Liu Jibin, Chairman of China's State Commission of Science, Technology,
and Industry for National Defense, to discuss cooperation between the two
countries in the peaceful use of nuclear energy, including nuclear safety
and conversion programs. The discussion also focused on the ongoing
construction of the Lianyungang nuclear power
plant and of a gas centrifuge plant. The construction of the
centrifuge plant is proceeding ahead of schedule; the third stage of the
project may be completed two years earlier than planned, and the plant
may begin operations in January 2001.[1] Adamov and Jibin agreed
to hold the next session of the Russian-Chinese Subcommission for Nuclear
Issues in the first half of the year 2000 in Beijing. They also signed
a protocol on the meeting on 21 January 1999, following Jibin's meeting
with Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Yuriy Maslyukov.[2] At a
briefing in Moscow on 21 January 1999, Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
representative Vladimir Rakhmanin emphasized that the Russian-Chinese Subcommission
is strictly peaceful in nature. Rakhmanin also said that nuclear
power and other energy projects scheduled to last several decades will
become the basis of Russian-Chinese strategic cooperation in the next century.[3]
6/19/98: ADAMOV REPORTS ON PROGRESS, FINANCING OF EXPORTS TO CHINA
During his visit to China, Russian Minister for Atomic Energy Yevgeniy
Adamov said that Minatom will continue working on nuclear projects with
China, including the construction of the gas-centrifuge enrichment plant
at Hanzhung in Shanxi Province and the construction of the nuclear power
plant in Lianyungang. The first line of the enrichment plant was
completed in 1996, the second, which will be able to process 300t of uranium,
is to be commissioned by the end of 1998, and the third in 2001.[1]
Adamov said at a press conference on 24 June 1998 that the enrichment plant
will give China one-fiftieth of the world's uranium enrichment capacity.[2]
According to foreign experts, Minatom received as much as $4 billion for
the construction of the first two production lines. For the Lianyungang
NPP, Russia will supply two VVER-1000 light-water reactors, provide for
the design and assembly, and start up the plant. The cost to construct
a similar nuclear plant would be $4 billion on the world market, but Minatom
estimates the total costs of construction to be $2.5 billion, because Russia
is only doing 60-70 percent of the work. Moreover, China will repay
its credit in the form of consumer goods, raw materials, construction materials,
repair work, and other goods and services. The credit is to be paid
back within 12 years starting 24 months after the startup of the NPP.
In addition, Russia is charging China only four percent interest per year
on the loan for the Lianyungang project.[1]
5/21/97: RUSSIA AND CHINA SIGN REACTOR AGREEMENT
On 21 May 1997, Russia and China signed an agreement to add two light-water
VVER-1000 reactors to the Lianyungang nuclear power plant in Jiangsu, China.
The reactors will each have a one gigawatt capacity. Minister of Atomic
Energy Viktor Mikhailov stated that Asian countries are the recipients
of one-sixth of his ministry's exports, equivalent to $2.015 billion in
1996.[1] In addition, Russian and Chinese officials signed a document on
the development of nuclear power engineering in China. The document stipulated
that a fast neutron reactor will be built with the help of the Machine
Building Plant (Elemash) in Elektrostal, Moscow Oblast. Elemash will also
supply fuel for the electric power station in China.[2]
Page last updated 17 December 2003
Comments or questions? Contact Michael Jasinski at MIIS
CNS:
Michael.Jasinski@miis.edu
This material is produced independently for NTI
by the Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the
Monterey Institute of International Studies and
does not necessarily reflect the opinions of and has
not been independently verified by NTI or its directors, officers,
employees, agents. Copyright © 2002 by MIIS.
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