A spent fuel transfer system for China's two EPRs at Taishan

CNIM  Systèmes Industriels supplies CNPEC with a spent fuel transfer system for China’s two EPRs at Taishan

Project Key figures

1. 5
g

the acceleration the system must be able to resist in the event of an earthquake

130
T

the mass of a spent fuel container when full

60
y

the lifetime of this piece of equipment

Nuclear safety comes first

Our customer CNPEC is a subsidiary of CGN, one of the major players in China’s nuclear reactor construction industry. CNPEC is in charge of building the Taishan 1 and Taishan 2 EPRs, for which nuclear safety is the number one issue.

CNIM Systèmes Industriels’ spent fuel transfer system contributes to the safety of these new Chinese EPRs, transferring used fuel from the storage pool into a container in a way that substantially reduces the risk of radioactive contamination.

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A successful product adaptation and a significant contribution to the Chinese economy

Drawing on its experience from 16 French reactors as well as Finland’s OL3 EPR, CNIM Systèmes Industriels made some major upgrades when adapting its transfer system for the Taishan EPRs, especially as regards the size of the containers and their resistance to earthquake.

By manufacturing the system at its Chinese subsidiary CNIM Industrial Systems China in partnership with Chinese suppliers, CNIM Systèmes Industriels has made a contribution to the development of the local economy.

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An international project with the close involvement of several CNIM Group companies



The delivery of the spent fuel transfer system is the culmination of the efforts of several companies (CNIM Systèmes Industriels, CNIM Industrial China and Bertin Technologies). This was a large-scale international project which combined technical challenges with demands for nuclear safety and multiple interfaces. It involved staff from all areas, from design to commissioning, relying on optimized purchasing and internal French-Chinese implementation.