The physical startup has begun at Unit 7 of the Tianwan NPP in China – the first fuel assemblies have been loaded into the reactor. Work started on August 12 and is being carried out by Rosatom's engineering division.
A total of 163 fuel assemblies are to be loaded into the reactor of Unit 7. After the loading is complete, specialists will begin a phased bringing of the reactor to a minimum controllable power level (MCP).
At this stage, the operation of control and protection systems, as well as the neutron-physical characteristics of the core, will be checked. After the tests are completed, the reactor will be gradually brought to its operating power of up to 100%.
The next major stage will be the power startup of the unit with connection to China's power system. As previously reported by Rosatom head Alexey Likhachev, startup work at Tianwan NPP Unit 7 and Xudapu NPP Unit 3 was planned to begin within a few weeks.
Construction of Tianwan NPP Units 7 and 8 began in the spring of 2022. Both power units are being built according to a Russian design with VVER-1200 reactors.